In this instructional video, special‑education veteran Michelle addresses the challenge of highly intelligent students whose fine‑motor delays prevent them from demonstrating their knowledge. She reframes goals to prioritize reducing motor demand and increasing response accuracy, so learners can focus on thinking rather than writing. Michelle then showcases a series of low‑prep, high‑impact accommodations: (1) sticky notes or Post‑its for answer‑choice selection; (2) peel‑off sticky labels for matching, spelling, vocabulary, and math tasks, which also build fine‑motor strength; (3) stamps for students who can press down but cannot form letters or numbers; (4) pre‑cut and match pieces that can be glued or placed instead of drawn; (5) using a label maker to type answers that are then affixed to worksheets. Throughout, she demonstrates each tool with a student, highlighting how the strategies enable the student to complete academic tasks without fatigue. Michelle emphasizes that these accommodations unlock higher‑level content for non‑writers, boost confidence, and produce a payoff that outweighs the modest preparation time. She concludes by encouraging viewers to explore further strategies in a linked video.
Chapters
Today I want to talk about a really common challenge in special education. What do we do when we have highly intelligent students who struggle with fine motor skills or who are non-writers? Hey, I'm Michelle. I have over 20 years of experience teaching autistic students, and I love sharing simple strategies that help our learners feel confident and successful. For so many of our learners, fine motor delays get in the way of showing what they actually know. And that's the part that breaks my heart because the knowledge is there, the comprehension is there, but the motor piece is what the barrier is. Now our goals should look different for these students. First, the goal should be to reduce the motor demand and increase the accuracy. Our goal is to take away the fine motor struggle so that students can focus on the thinking. We want them to feel proud of their work, not frustrated before they even start. Here are some of my go-to accommodations that make such a huge difference. So first off, sticky notes or Post-its. I write the answer choices on sticky notes so the student can simply pick up the correct one and place it. There's no writing required, but they're still making an academic choice. Next are these sticky labels. These are amazing for matching, spelling, vocabulary, or math. Anything where the student can peel and stick. The peeling motion actually builds the fine motor strength too. Equal to and less than.
Less than. Good. Is it like this?
Is 678 more than 600?
Yeah.
Okay, good. Good. 100 and 100.
That's equal.
Good. Tell me what time it is. I have some times over here for you to look at.
3:52.
Okay, you can stick it right there.
Nice. 45. 45. Good.
How many?
Good.
Where's your number 4? I love it. Nice job! How many?
1, 2.
Where's your 2? For students who can make downward press but not write letters or numbers yet, stamps give them access to literacy and math tasks without the hand fatigue.
My turn!
Thank you. Open this. Good job. All right, what number is this? Let's stamp 1.
Good.
I need to cut it.
Yes, please. Wow, beautiful!
Beautiful. We have a circle. What is it?
Circle.
We're gonna count and circle the correct number. How many buses? How many?
1, 2, 3.
Circle 3.
I'm touching. How many? 1, 2, 1. Nice job. There you go. 1, 2, 3.
Which one's 3? Yes, good job. Keep going.
1, 2. It's good. Excuse me, it's good. Good job.
Perfect. Okay, what's after 3? Good! Cut and match pieces are wonderful. I can pre-cut the pieces ahead of time so the student can just glue or place. This saves time and reduces frustration. Wow, yes, good! This next one is one of my favorite accommodation hacks. If a student can type but struggles with writing, I let them type their answers into a label maker. Then I stick the label onto the worksheet. They still generate their own answers but with zero fine motor pressure. This is a total game changer for academically advanced students with writing challenges.
T-W. T or W? No, W. T-W-E-N-T-Y. E-N-T-Y. So, 20. Yay!
With a squid.
They still stick? What?
What's that?
14.
The Autism Helper actually offers both writer and non-writer versions in some of their lower-level curricula, which is incredible for meeting students where they are. But sometimes you have academically higher students who still struggle with fine motor. That's where strategies like these come in. They let those students access higher-level content without being held back by the fine motor piece. When we give these accommodations, students who used to shut down suddenly lighten up. They can finally show what they know, and their confidence skyrockets. And yes, it takes a little prep on the front end, but the payoff is absolutely worth it. These ideas will help you support your brilliant learners who just need a different way to show what they know. Remember, fine motor shouldn't be the barrier that gets in the way of progress. And if you want to dive into another powerful strategy, check out Sasha's video next. She's sharing why you're not winning the power struggle, and her insights are game-changing. That video is linked right here.
