Which approach is most appropriate before requesting a referral for Alec's fine motor difficulties?

• A. Adapting classroom activities to accommodate Alec's fine motor difficulties
• B. Giving Alec's parents instructions for home activities to strengthen his fine motor skills
• C. Providing a paraprofessional to help develop Alec's fine motor skills
• D. Asking another teacher to provide a second opinion about Alec's fine motor difficulties

Answer: (A)

Focusing on in-class supports first is the best approach. When a student has fine motor difficulties, teachers can implement targeted accommodations and modifications within everyday classroom tasks to see if the child can access learning with supports in place. This hands-on step provides immediate, observable data across settings (writing, manipulating small objects, fasteners, cutting tasks) and helps distinguish a need for additional services from a situation that can be managed with adaptations. Examples include using pencil grips or larger writing utensils, adaptive scissors, slant boards, chunking tasks into smaller steps, allowing alternative tools or responses, and giving extra time. By trying these accommodations, you demonstrate proactive problem-solving, inform families about practical strategies, and gather information that guides whether a referral for formal evaluation is necessary. While home activities or additional personnel might be helpful later, they aren’t the first step to determine the need for an evaluation. Similarly, seeking another teacher’s opinion can be part of collaboration, but it doesn’t replace the data gathered from in-class accommodations and observations when deciding on referrals.