Performance Minds · all areas Vision · Sensory · Motor · Focus / Executive
Motor Minds Learning

Performance Minds Learning

Motor Minds

Posture, coordination, and fine-motor execution — in handwriting, tool use, and play.

Motor Minds looks at the motor demands of school: sitting upright, coordinating two hands, managing tools, and writing legibly at speed. Vision drives much of fine motor and handwriting, so every Motor Minds tool checks visual access and visual-motor integration first.

Open Full MPA™ Free Classroom Screen Free resources

Postural control

Sitting and standing stability, endurance, and core strength during work.

Coordination

Bilateral coordination, motor planning, balance, and ball skills.

Fine motor

Grasp, in-hand manipulation, scissors, fasteners, and tool use.

Handwriting

Legibility, spacing, sizing, speed, and copying accuracy.

Two tiers

Screen first. Assess when it matters.

FREE · ABOUT 5 MINUTES

Motor Classroom Screen

Vision-first checks, 15 classroom observations, and green/yellow/red next steps for the team.

Run the free screen

FULL ASSESSMENT · ABOUT 30 MINUTES

MPA™ Motor Performance Assessment

Print-first materials, timed observations, 0–3 scoring, domain summary, support plan and a printable record.

$9 per student · $20 all three · $199 Caseload Pass (12 months)

Field-test version · not normed or diagnostic · clinical review pending

Open Full MPA™

Free resources

Browse all motor resources

Teachers & parents

90-90-90 seating check

  1. Feet flat on the floor or a box
  2. Hips and knees bent at right angles
  3. Desk at elbow height; add a slant board for writing

Teachers

Helper-hand cue

  1. Place a sticker where the helper hand should rest
  2. Cue: 'Helper hand holds the paper'
  3. Fade the sticker after a week

Teachers

Warm-up before writing

  1. Chair push-ups ×5
  2. Finger 'piano' and squeeze-a-ball ×10
  3. Write the date slowly — then start

Parents

Fine-motor at home

  1. Tear paper for a collage
  2. Pick up cereal with tweezers
  3. Open and close food containers at snack

Teams

Reduce copying load

  1. Give a near-point copy instead of board copying
  2. Accept fill-in-the-blank notes
  3. Allow typing or speech-to-text for long answers

Optional premier PDFs & kits

Available now

Learning Lab kit

$7 for one child, or $29 for a 12-month Caseload Pass. Covers all four areas.

Open the Lab

Printable · $5

Handwriting Help Pack

Letter-formation cards, spacing tools, a slant-board guide, and a legibility checklist.

Get it for $5

Printable · $3

Tonight at Home: Motor

Ten-minute fine- and gross-motor routines with no special equipment.

Get it for $3

Printable · $15

Motor Staff In-Service Kit

45-minute presenter script on seating, tools, and handwriting accommodations.

Get it for $15

Printable · $5

Fine Motor & Postural Skills Pack

Graded fine-motor ladder, postural warm-up routine, home program, and progress data.

Get it for $5

MPA™ Motor Performance Assessment

Field-test version available · for licensed OTs

Open the MPA™

About 30 minutes, print-first. Observes posture, coordination, fine motor and handwriting during school tasks; includes eyes-open/eyes-closed balance and a near-point copying sample.

  1. 1. Materials checklist and vision access check
  2. 2. Seated posture and endurance observation
  3. 3. Balance (eyes open vs. closed) and bilateral coordination
  4. 4. Grasp, scissors, and fastener tasks
  5. 5. Near-point copy and timed writing sample
  6. 6. 0–3 rubric by domain → support plan

Courses

Course designs are ready to submit for AOTA approval. Contact hours and CEUs will be listed only after approval.

Course 0 · Introductory · 1 hr · $49

Motor Minds Foundations: Motor Performance in the Classroom

You will be able to

  • Describe four motor performance domains that affect school participation
  • Differentiate motor-driven handwriting problems from visual-motor and visual access problems
  • Identify two seating and tool changes a teacher can start the same day

Modules

  1. Motor skills as performance skills
  2. Posture, coordination, fine motor, handwriting
  3. Vision inside motor: copying and eye-hand
  4. Same-day supports and when to screen

Registration not yet open · AOTA approval pending

Course 1 · Intermediate · 3 hr · $79

Motor Minds in the School: Screening, Reasoning, and Planning

You will be able to

  • Administer and score the 5-minute Motor Classroom Screen
  • Use screen results and red-flag triggers to select next steps and referrals
  • Write motor-based accommodations and measurable goals
  • Explain handwriting and DCD evidence to teams accurately

Modules

  1. Scope of school-based motor practice
  2. The Classroom Screen: items and scoring
  3. Reasoning: motor vs. visual-motor vs. attention
  4. Accommodations and goals
  5. Evidence base
  6. Case walkthroughs
  7. Competency check

Registration not yet open · AOTA approval pending

Course 2 · Advanced · 4 hr · $99

Administering the MPA™: Motor Performance Assessment

You will be able to

  • Administer the MPA™ with fidelity in about 30 minutes
  • Score posture, coordination, fine motor and handwriting with the 0–3 rubric
  • Interpret results alongside VPA™ findings
  • Document and refer appropriately

Modules

  1. Why performance-based motor assessment
  2. MPA™ architecture and materials
  3. Administration walkthrough
  4. Scoring and interpretation
  5. Clinical reasoning cases
  6. Documentation and referral

Registration not yet open · AOTA approval pending