Identification - characteristic behaviours

The following characteristics may indicate that a pupil needs help to overcome barriers to writing (not all pupils will exhibit all these characteristics):

• a general lack of ideas
• writing is a physical struggle... poor fine motor control/sedentary
• difficulty with spelling which impedes writing
• a view of writing as secretarial skills rather a creative process
• difficulty remembering what s/he is writing about
• quick to finish with writing being superficial
• plays it safe with writing and is reluctant to take risks
• good at telling stories but has difficulty writing stories
• truncated writing - starts but is unable to extend writing