Our Intervention Team, the final part

Speech Therapy once a week, occupational therapy twice a week; all in Quezon City. Ton goes to a regular Montessori school 3 hours/day on weekdays. There are also SpEd (special education) tutorials twice a week in Thinkids and swimming thrice a week in Therapy Works. How's that for "intervention?"

Every weekday from 8 to 11 am, Ton goes to a Montessori school in the south. He is surrounded by typical children- active, communicating and engaged. Before he went to this school, he was in a traditional preschool where he got used to routines, appropriate classroom behavior and traditional teaching methods.  In January 2013, we started to look at his options for grade school. We were convinced that a regular school would be best for him but there weren't many who would entertain my phone inquiry after I would say that "my son has high functioning autism."

Because my two girls already go to Montessori, the school was always an option. I was very hesitant, however, having been told by many (dev. peds., therapists, other parents) that children with autism do not manage well in a Montessori classroom. The Montessori set up is very fluid, very free. Materials are laid out according to subject areas all around the classroom. Children learn at their own pace. They make their own choices as to what materials to work on. They eat when they feel hungry. They can walk around the campus if they felt the need for a break.

In Montessori classrooms, materials are organized
in shelves and many children work on their own.

I imagined Ton in this environment. It would be like Chuck E. Cheese's for him. He would run around, play with toys then move on without finishing tasks or packing up. I dreaded the sensorial overload- the music from the bells and tone bars, the visual stimulation from all the colors of the materials around the room. I feared that he would not be able to self-regulate in such a busy sensory environment. So I asked Teacher Lady, his OT, how she felt about Montessori and she gave the wisest school-related advice I've ever received. "Mommy, it's not the school. It's the teacher."

She was right. A school would be just any school if not for the quality and dedication of its teachers. In Montessori, Teacher Leah is one of the best teachers I've known (I've been a student of the school, an employee of the school and now a 5-year old parent of the school.) I realized this during the assessment. Ton, unfamiliar with the ways of Montessori and the environment, threw a full-blown tantrum when he could no longer regulate himself. I feared rejection, but Leah was not willing to dismiss my child after seeing him for 1 hour. She said, "let him spend an hour a day for a week. Then I will make my decision."

We prepared for the trial run. I prepared picture cards of the Montessori materials, provided a schedule board and talked to Leah about what to expect and how to handle issues as they arise. I briefed her on Ton's language and how to read his cues. She listened and she applied everything.

Given a schedule board of his work, Ton was able to stay for 30 minutes the first day, then 1 hour the next until by Friday he was in the classroom for two hours. Leah was convinced that she was equipped to work with him. She also saw his potential. That is what a true Montessori teacher is- someone who will help develop the child's full potential. And, oh, for Ton the potential was boundless.

Tessa always holds her Kuya Ton's hand when
they enter the school together.

It's been 2 months since Ton has been under Leah's care and he is thriving in the environment. He is now on a 3-hour morning schedule, following a pre-planned schedule of "works" that Leah either presents or Ton does for review. He is now able to join the singing and dancing (with his ears covered) in the sharing area prior to dismissal and is even able to tolerate the sound of the musical instruments in the classroom (he is allowed to wait in the hallway while a child is playing an instrument).

Leah has gone beyond regular teacher duties and has met with me regularly for updates. She texts me when she has concerns or when she notices odd behavior. She asks me how to handle issues and makes me interpret Ton's language. I visit her in the school regularly to take pictures of the materials (for schedule cards) and we have even met up at Starbucks once for a special parent-teacher conference. Yes, Teacher Lady, it is not the school but the teacher.

First ever in the school- a web Parent-Teacher Conference

Because, however, a Montessori education does not approach academic expectations at the same pace as traditional schools, Ton has been undergoing SpEd tutorials for 3 years now. His current SpEd tutor is Teacher Maita from Thinkids.

Maita, Jeri's (speech therapist) cousin, has the same dedication and passion for her craft as Jeri has with hers. She works with Ton on reading and comprehension (Ton can read but has difficulty interpreting the meaning of his sentences). She also engages him twice a week in conversations that help improve his language. Because of her, Ton has become interested in trying to read on his own. He has also a renewed fascination for books now that he knows that when words are put together they make sentences that tell the story.

Ton loves reading Caldecott medal books.

The biggest surprise (now a necessity) to me was how swimming has become important intervention for Ton's autism. Prior to swimming, Ton had difficulty with self-regulation- he was hyperactive, often spaced out, with poor concentration, and in his own world. Because his language was still not fully developed, he used off-behaviors and emotional outbursts to deal with frustration and disappointment.

Any child would love to learn to swim this way!

I started Ton on swimming lessons with Teacher Jillo of Therapy Works as a summer activity to fill up his time. Jillo has years of experience in teaching swimming to special children. He uses toys and play to help the child adjust to the water, then uses them again to make children practice swim strokes from one side of the pool to the other.

It was a revelation how it helped Ton release his extra energy. It was also mentally calming for him to be in the water. He has since performed better in school, in therapy and at home. We have found that swimming three times a week is best for Ton. When he misses a single session, he tends to be more irritable and has difficulty concentrating and self-regulating.

Jillo is trained and experienced in handling special children.

I was gone from the blog for more than two years. In that span of time, I tried different therapies and therapists. I learned what works for Ton and what does not. Who is effective, and who is not.

In two years, I was able to build my intervention team, the "secret recipe" of Ton's successes so far. Jeri, Lady, Joan, Leah, Maita and Jillo. Not many parents get to say that they have the best therapists/teachers in the country. I can.

Things can only get better :)