Mixed-Age Classrooms

Mixed-Age Classrooms

Montessori is known for its mixed-age classrooms.  There is a three-year range in children’s ages, and work is introduced to children based on their individual readiness rather than the average chronological age of classmates.  In such an environment, children with ASD do not get stigmatized when they work on skills that are very different from the needs of their typical peers.  In addition, mixed-age classrooms create many opportunities over three years for a child to be mentored by more advanced classmates, to mentor others, and to be either a follower or leader in the same environment. Moreover, children with unevenly developed skills, as in ASD, benefit from a mixed-age arrangement since classmates across a range of developmental levels are readily available as potential work buddies.