Write Like Zella: An Evidence-Informed Approach for Teaching Handwriting to Children with Autism
Despite the increased accessibility of technology, handwriting is still one of the most important life skills a child can acquire. It supports academic participation, functional independence, communication, and overall confidence in everyday life.
For autistic learners, handwriting instruction often feels frustratingly mismatched. Traditional methods don’t always account for the sensory, motor, visual, and cognitive differences that shape how neurodivergent children learn best.
That’s exactly why Ashlee Schmitt, MOT, OTR/L, created Write Like Zella: a continuing education course designed to help practitioners teach handwriting in a way that is clear, supportive, and responsive to the specific strengths of autistic children.
This course is built for occupational therapists (OTs), OTAs, educators, and clinicians who want something more reliable than trial and error.
Why Handwriting Is So Hard for Autistic Learners
As we know, children with autism experience a plethora of challenges with the foundational skills required for handwriting. Impaired fine motor skills make it difficult to grasp the pencil, and sensory processing differences make it hard to learn the correct formation of each letter. When each piece of the handwriting puzzle seems to be working overtime, writing can become exhausting, inconsistent, and emotionally overwhelming.
The good news? Like all kids, children with autism have strengths too.
A More Structured Way to Teach Handwriting
In Write Like Zella, Ashlee introduces a systematic instructional framework for handwriting development that embraces the strengths of autistic children.
Rather than relying on generic worksheets, confusing rhetoric, or repetition alone, this course simplifies the nuances of handwriting through bold visual cues, concrete verbal prompting, and fluid rhythms and routines. Children on the spectrum thrive with structure; Write Like Zella provides the consistent, direct, and supportive instruction they need to write like their peers.
About Write Like Zella
Zella is now a seventh grader—but I first met her eight years ago, when she was in preschool.
I worked with her consistently for five consecutive years, during a time when handwriting felt like anything but approachable. A true spitfire, Zella was unapologetically confident in her preferences. She disliked writing, resisted sitting at the table for structured tasks, and communicated her feelings clearly and effectively.
As a preschooler, however, she was still expected to meet foundational goals—like copying her name. Rather than forcing compliance, I shifted my focus. By getting curious about what Zella enjoyed and paying close attention to the cues that supported her focus and participation, Zella began to show me how she learned best.
Over time, that curiosity changed everything. Zella has progressed from being labeled “one of those kids, destined for technology” to writing her name independently, composing complete sentences, and now writing full paragraphs with confidence.
Zella’s story was an early and meaningful lesson in my career—one that revealed the progress that becomes possible when instruction is shaped around the child, not the task. The principles that emerged from that experience have since supported countless other learners, including Ben, Henry, Isaac, and many more.
What You’ll Learn in This CEU Course
Participants will leave with tools they can apply immediately in clinical and classroom settings. You’ll be able to:
Explain the role and importance of handwriting development for all children across academic, functional, and communication contexts.
Identify the motor, visual–perceptual, and cognitive components that impact handwriting performance in children with autism.
Describe evidence-informed principles that support structured handwriting instruction for neurodivergent learners.
Implement a systematic instructional framework to teach letter formation and written output using modeling, prompting hierarchies, and fading strategies.
Differentiate adaptations to the handwriting framework based on individual sensory, motor, and communication profiles.
Most of all, you’ll gain a better roadmap for supporting autistic learners in a way that feels organized, effective, and respectful of neurodiversity.
Real Case Studies. Real Clinical Application.
This course is grounded in real practice with repeated case studies,not theory alone. Through reliable methodology involving clearly-defined starting positions, color-coded sequencing of strokes, and direct verbal prompting, participants will leave with confidence—whether you work in outpatient pediatrics, schools, or early intervention, you’ll walk away with strategies you can use right away.
A Course Built With Joy, Compassion, and Neurodiversity in Mind
At The ColorfullyEnthused Therapy Studio, Ashlee believes every child is capable, and every learner deserves instruction that honors their nervous system, strengths, and individuality. Handwriting can be taught in a structured, supportive way, without forcing children into approaches that don’t fit. Write Like Zella was created to help practitioners feel confident in doing exactly that.
Join us on Thursday, March 12th
If teaching handwriting has felt heavy, inconsistent, or unclear, this course will give you a practical framework you can trust. Ready to get started? Join us on Zoom with this link from 5-6:15 pm EST on Thursday, March 12th.