Speak with the student's parents regarding the nature of the delay. A communication delay can occur for a number of reasons, not all of them related to learning disabilities. For example, some children may be unable to read due to a lack of learning materials in their home. Ask the parents whether the child has a medical diagnosis. If the child does have a diagnosis, ask the parents which one it is.
Provide an evaluation to test the child's current writing abilities. Provide the child with a writing prompt that asks a question about a grade-appropriate topic. For example, if the student is in third grade, give a writing prompt about pets or lunch, not world history.
Read the student's attempt at writing and compare it to those of students in his grade and in lower grades. Ask teachers in other grades to provide you with examples of the performance standards for their grades. Identify which grade level the student is performing at by looking at the standards for each grade and comparing your student's performance to each.
List the main areas that the student needs to work on in writing. If the child cannot spell simple words, emphasize spelling. If the child can spell some words, but lacks an understanding of grammar, focus on both spelling and grammar. List any problems the child has that keeps her from being able to write a coherent passage, by reading over her work and identifying the errors she most commonly makes.
Teach the child basic spelling and grammar, starting at the highest grade level that the child understands. If the child cannot write at all, start by getting him to spell his name, then spell one syllable words. Teach the child the technique of "sounding out." Explain to him that he should say the words he wants to spell out loud very slowly, then try guessing the spelling based on the way the word sounds. For more complex words, get him to write the word out several times as a memorization technique.
Write examples to show the child how basic style and organization work. Write paragraphs that start with a topic sentence followed by several elaborate sentences, and explain to her that this style makes paragraphs easy to read. Encourage the student to use as few words as possible in each sentence.
Emphasize areas that are likely to be particularly difficult if the child has a disability within a narrow area. For example, make a mental note to focus a disproportionate amount of time on spelling if the child is dyslexic.