How do I teach a child with autism to write?

Is your child with autism due to start school or homeschooling soon?

Do you want to your child with autism to write their name, or form the letters of the alphabet?

First your child need to develop the fine motor skills which will enable them to make the lines and shapes which they need to form letters.

So rather than pushing your child to start writing before they are ready, what can you do?

** Safety note: some fine motor skill activities use supplies & materials which our sensory seekers (especially those with pica) will try to put in their mouth. Before you try a new fine motor activity think carefully if it could be unsafe for your child.

Some of my top fine motor activities which will help your child develop their pre-writing skills are:

• threading buttons & beads onto laces

• sewing cards using laces or yarn

• pom pom pick up mats

• dough mats

• making collage pictures (use different types of materials & glues)

• clothes peg cards & games

• cutting (free choice & printed sheets)

• coloring / colouring (using variety of crayons, pencils & pens)

• painting (using a variety of materials & brushes)

• sticker books & sticker pictures

• writing pattern sheets

• paths & mazes

• dot to dot

Once your child is ready to move on to paper based pre-writing activities check out my No Prep Fine Motor Skills resources

The more time your child spends having fun with and exploring pre-writing fine motor activities the more ready they will be when it comes time for them to start forming the letters of the alphabet, the more confident they will then be about writing their name, and the more eager they will be to start writing words.

If you have any questions about pre-writing activities for your child please email kirsten@curriculumforautism.com

Thanks for reading!

Kirsten