Fine motor skills
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Fine motor skills are the small, precise movements of the hands and fingers used for tasks like writing, cutting, buttoning and using utensils.
Topic: Motor and sensory
In plain terms
Fine motor skills depend on hand strength, finger coordination, using both hands together, and steady posture from the shoulders and trunk. Students with fine motor difficulties may tire quickly when writing, struggle with fasteners and containers, or avoid art and building activities. Occupational therapists often evaluate and support these skills in school.
How it shows up in an IEP
Goals should name the school task rather than the hand skill alone: "will open all lunch containers independently" or "will cut along a curved line within a quarter inch." Task analysis and accuracy data fit well.
Example
A kindergartner can snip paper but not cut along a line. A goal targets cutting a 6-inch straight line within a quarter inch of the line in 4 of 5 trials, with adapted scissors at first.
Related terms
- Gross motor skillsGross motor skills are movements of the large muscles of the body, used for walking, running, jumping, climbing, balance and coordination.
- Visual-motor integrationVisual-motor integration is the coordination of what the eyes see with how the hands move, as in copying shapes, letters or diagrams.
- Occupational therapy (school-based)School-based occupational therapy helps students take part in school tasks, such as handwriting, using tools, self-care and managing sensory needs.
- Adaptive equipmentAdaptive equipment is gear that helps a student with a disability sit, move, eat, write or take part in activities more independently.
- DysgraphiaDysgraphia is a learning difficulty with writing that can affect handwriting, spelling and putting thoughts into written words.
On IEP Atlas
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