Has the student attended school in his own country? If he is of limited formal schooling, or his alphabet is very different from ours, that could be a factor. If he has schooling (with a similar alphabet to ours). Contact the school's Occupational Therapist. They are sometimes able to quickly screen the student and let you know what to try next. There are special pencil grips and special paper. Students can practice similar letters (start with O, then a, then q) on paper, on marker boards, and tracing in a salt tray. This may be a student for whom typing may be an important accommodation.