The Building Blocks of Motor Learning for Spellers
A question I often hear is: “My child already uses a keyboard. Why can’t we just start there?” The answer lies in understanding how motor learning works.
Spellers Method is designed for nonspeaking, unreliably speaking, or nonverbal individuals who experience whole-body apraxia—a neuromotor disability that impacts the brain’s ability to send coordinated messages to the body. Because of this, typing isn’t just a communication task—it’s a complex motor task that builds on foundational gross and fine motor development.
Just like walking comes before running, spelling with fingers or typing on a keyboard must follow an intentional path of motor development. Many individuals with apraxia have splinter skills—they may appear capable in some areas due to repetition but still struggle to acquire new motor tasks without structured support.
Step-by-Step Motor Progression in Spellers Method
Spellers Method mirrors developmental motor learning. Here’s how the progression supports motor success:
- Start with 3 stencil boards during the acquisition phase. These offer large targets and high sensory feedback, making early movements easier for spellers who are just learning to coordinate actions.
- Advance to the 26 board, which has smaller letters and less spacing. This introduces more motor demand, requiring improved coordination and precision.
- Move to the laminate board, where spellers point directly to flat letters without a pencil. This step removes the tactile feedback of poking through stencil letters and demands stronger proprioception and body awareness.
- Finally, transition to the keyboard, a task requiring refined fine motor control and precise eye movement coordination. Typing also increases cognitive load, so it should only come after solid motor accuracy and regulation are established.
Skipping these stages often leads to frustration or even influencing, where the speller may appear to communicate but isn’t independently motor planning. Just like you wouldn’t expect a beginner to knit a scarf on day one, we can’t expect spellers to jump to the keyboard without motor readiness.
Rethinking Prompting: Why It’s Not a Bad Word
Families frequently express concern over “prompt-dependence,” a concept rooted in outdated therapy models. But prompting isn’t a crutch—it’s a necessary part of motor skill acquisition.
Prompting is like hiring a personal trainer or using training wheels. It reduces frustration, supports sensory regulation, and provides the motor feedback needed to learn a new movement pattern. Spellers with apraxia aren’t prompt-dependent—they have difficulty initiating and inhibiting movement, and prompting can bridge that gap.
Working with a trained Spellers Method provider helps ensure prompting is used strategically and progressively, so independence grows with each step. You can get personal sessions which include coaching and training at our Spellers Center Atlanta location in Woodstock, GA.
Managing the Mental Load: Cognitive and Motor Demands
Learning to spell is like learning to drive. At first, you’re hyper-focused on steering and following the rules. As those motor skills become automatic, you can chat or listen to music while driving. But throw in a snowstorm or a new city? You go back to basics, focusing entirely on the task.
Spellers face this every time they learn a new motor task. Early stages with larger boards reduce cognitive overload, allowing the brain to focus on learning the motor plan for spelling. Once that’s automatic, more cognitive complexity can be layered in.
Executive Attention: Sustaining Focus for Motor Success
Ever walk into a room and forget why? That’s a lapse in executive attention—the ability to hold a thought while executing a task.
Spellers need to develop this too. It’s not enough to know what they want to say—they have to hold that thought while planning and performing the motor sequence to spell it. Strong motor foundations make it easier to sustain executive attention and reduce the risk of dysregulation during communication.
Sensory Regulation: The Missing Link in Motor Learning
Sensory processing plays a major role in whether a motor plan succeeds. Many spellers struggle with sensory dysregulation, making even simple movements hard to initiate.
A well-regulated nervous system is the foundation for motor learning. That’s why sensory support—like movement breaks, calming inputs, and structured routines—are essential for success in spelling. A dysregulated body leads to dysregulated motor output.
Confidence Grows With Each Mastered Step
Perhaps one of the most powerful outcomes of following the Spellers Method motor progression is confidence. When a speller masters each board—from three boards to 26, then to laminate and finally keyboard—they not only gain skill, but also trust in their body’s abilities.
Just like a toddler gains confidence through falling and getting back up, spellers grow more secure and motivated with each small victory. Skipping steps may feel efficient, but it often sets them up for frustration. Trusting the method builds lasting success.
Conclusion: Trust the Process, Empower the Communicator
Spellers Method isn’t about testing intelligence—it’s about building reliable motor pathways for expressive language. By starting with large, supportive movements, embracing prompting as a learning tool, and addressing both sensory and cognitive demands, we unlock our children’s full potential.
The keyboard will come—but starting with strong motor foundations is how we make communication sustainable and empowering for the long haul.
