Are you looking for hacks to get students to follow your verbal instructions? If so, keep reading.

1. Urge the learner to say a mantra to themselves when entering a situation where the learner will receive instructions/explanations (e.g., listen carefully, listen carefully, listen carefully).

2. Urge the learner to create an understanding of the consequences of their behavior 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 not finish tasks correctly. Then, you may not pass the class and earn the credit needed for graduation.).

3. Create classroom rules: • Complete every assignment. • Complete assignments quietly. • Remain in your seat. • Finish tasks. • Meet task expectations. Examine rules often. Praise students for following the rules.

4. Create rules for listening to and following instructions (e.g., listen when someone is giving instructions, ask questions about instructions if they are not grasped, etc.). These rules should be consistent and followed by everyone in the class. Talk about the rules often.

5. Assess the appropriateness of the task to determine (a) if the task is too easy, (b) if the task is too complicated, and (c) if the duration of time scheduled to finish the task is sufficient.

6. Solidify the learner’s capacity and ability to follow oral instructions by communicating with the learner’s cooperative work experience/vocational education teacher to give appropriate strategies and interventions at the learner’s job site.

7. Follow up a less desirable task with a highly desirable task. Make the following of oral instructions and conclusion of the first task appropriate to perform the second task.

8. Provide instructions in an assortment of ways to increase the likelihood of comprehension (e.g., if the learner fails to understand oral instructions, present then in written form).

9. Provide the learner one task to perform at a time. Introduce the next task only when the learner has successfully finished the prior task.

10. Urge the learner to avoid ingesting any substance (e.g., drugs, alcohol, cold remedies, etc.) that might further alter their capacity and ability to listen to or follow oral instructions.

11. Urge the learner to ask for clarification of any directions, explanations, and instructions before starting a task to enable comprehension.

12. Get a designated person to be the only individual to deliver oral instructions to the learner.

13. Get a peer to help the learner with any oral instructions they do not understand.

14. Train the learner to periodically step back and ask themselves, “Am I on-task and paying attention?” “What should I be doing now?”

15. Get the learner to pay attention to the source of information by keeping eye contact, keeping hands free from other learning materials, and reducing other distractions.

16. Require that tasks done incorrectly, for any reason, be redone.

17. Get the learner to keep a record (e.g., chart or graph) of their performance in following oral instructions.

18. Minimize oral instructions to steps (e.g., give the learner each additional step after the conclusion of the prior step).

19. Get the learner to practice group listening skills (e.g., “Everyone, take out a piece of paper. Write your name on the paper. Number your paper from 1 to 20.”).

20. Make sure the learner is attending (e.g., making eye contact, hands free of other learning materials, looking at task, etc.) before oral instructions are given.

21. Consider using a classroom management app to help the student learn to follow your verbal 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.

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.