All of what Polar said.
Plus this: in an area of struggle, make the task so small and easy first that he is able to succeed with it. Do it that way several times before increasing the difficulty, and increase it in such tiny increments that there is always some success in view.
I didn't expect to already have to advocate for my DS in regard to writing requirements at a play-based (!) preschool. However, this excellent advice from both Dee Dee and Polar Bear (both in this post and many others) enabled me to work successfully with a teacher confused by the combination of exceptional intelligence with inconsistency of writing skill acquisition. I put a kibosh on "requirement", but guidelines for small incremental skill building as outlined by Dee Dee & Polar Bear. Thank you!
