Editorial illustration for "Handwriting - when to worry and when not to".
What teachers usually flag
Slow output, illegible letter formation, fatigue, avoidance, or written work that is well below the child's verbal capacity.
Any of these in isolation can be developmental. Two or more together, persisting beyond mid Year 1, is usually worth a closer look.
What I look at
Grip and posture; letter formation patterns; legibility under time pressure; the gap between handwritten and verbal output; the child's confidence and self-talk about writing.
The single best indicator that OT will help is a child who is trying, knows they're struggling, and has started to opt out.
When I recommend keyboard skills in parallel
Where the gap between what the child can verbally generate and what they can put on paper is large, and where the handwriting demand at school is constraining what they can demonstrate they know.
Keyboard skills are not a substitute for handwriting work - they're a parallel track. The child needs functional handwriting and the ability to produce volume.