Originally Posted by ndw
Getting started is a common problem.....with creative writing you can sometimes start at the end or the middle and work backwards or outwards from there. Blank page syndrome is very anxiety producing. Even professional writers struggle as you can see here.

http://grammar.about.com/od/yourwriting/a/wblockquotes.htm

Perfectionism and the anxiety that you will write badly affects lots of people.
Organising thoughts is another issue.

Mind mapping on scrap paper....free associating ideas and actually putting something on paper can be a catalyst to starting. Allowing a terrible draft so that he just writes a page even if its horrible can be another way to start.
He has been told all this numerous times. Sometimes it works and other times it doesn't. This is why he has the 504 and we had a tutor working with him. When he falls apart like this in the evening we have had the best luck giving it a rest and try again fresh on another day. He has accommodations written into his 504 to allow work like this late.