Are you looking for ways to help kids with receptive language disorder understand instructions? If so, keep reading.

1. Make sure the learner knows that you expect them to listen to you (e.g., by saying, “William, it is essential that you listen carefully to what I have to say. Your rough draft is due on Wednesday.” etc.).

2. Reward the learner’s peers in the classroom for listening to and following instructions.

3. Urge the learner to ask for clarification of any directions, explanations, and instructions before starting a task to ensure all needed information was heard.

4. Select various people (e.g., peers, paraprofessionals, counselors, family members, etc.) to help the learner improve their listening skills.

5. Do not give instructions to the learner from across the room. Go to the learner, get their full attention, and explain the instructions to him/her.

6. Get the learner’s hearing reviewed if it has not been recently reviewed.

7. Get the learner to silently rehearse information just heard to help them remember the essential facts.

8. Be positive. On occasions where correcting the learner, be honest yet compassionate. Never cause the learner to feel negatively about themselves.

9. Provide a consistent format in the oral delivery of information.

10. Urge the learner to ask for clarification if they do not understand instructions that are given orally or in writing.

11. Provide the learner with short directions, explanations, and instructions to follow. As the learner shows success, slowly increase the length of the directions, explanations, and instructions.

12. Let logical consequences happen due to the learner failing to listen to and follow instructions (e.g., miss instructions for the task, miss information on school learning activities , etc.).

13. Get the learner to repeat or rephrase what is said to them to ascertain what they heard.

14. Be firm, fair, and consistent, expecting the learner to listen to and follow instructions. Do not Let the learner fail to listen without accepting natural consequences.

15. Praise the learner for listening to what is said (e.g., making eye contact, hands are free of learning materials, looking at tasks, etc.): (a) give the learner a concrete reward (e.g., classroom privileges, 10 minutes of free time, etc.) or (b) give the learner an informal reward (e.g., praise, handshake, smile, etc.).

16. Provide the learner instructions with no more than two or three steps (e.g., “Please open your text and turn to page 28.”); directions that involve several steps can be confusing and cause the learner to have difficulty following them.

17. Put the learner near the source of information.

18. Separate at crucial points when delivering directions, explanations, and instructions to check the learner’s comprehension.

19. Urge the learner to create an understanding of themselves and those around him/her. Train the learner to periodically step back and ask themselves, “Am I listening and paying attention?” “What should I be doing now?”

20. Urge the learner to create an understanding of the consequences of not listening by writing down or talking through problems that may happen due to their need to have oral instructions and questions regularly repeated (e.g., if you do not focus on the instructions, you may miss information and produce poor quality work).

21. Consider using a classroom management app to help the student follow directions and instructions . Click here to view a list of apps that we recommend.

22. Consider using Alexa to help you with classroom management. Click here to read an article that we wrote on the subject.

23. Click here to learn about six bonus strategies for challenging problem behaviors and mastering classroom management.

24. Read this article that we wrote on developing listening comprehension skills.

25. Read this article that we wrote explaining why verbal comprehension skills are important to academic success.

26. Read this article that we wrote on what you should do when your child struggles with verbal comprehension.