Help! My Child Won’t Follow Directions
“Matthew, go bring your shoes, please”… *silence*… “Matthew, did you hear me?”… No matter how many times you repeat the prompt, Matthew meets you with a blank stare. Does this situation sound familiar to you? You’re not alone! Following directions is an essential skill, yet many children have difficulties following simple directions, especially children with developmental challenges.
It is important for a child to follow directions because it is how learning takes place. Following directions directly impacts a child’s academic success, social development, as well as performance of daily routines. If a child displays difficulties with following directions, it may not only affect a child’s functioning at home and school, but also affect his/her self-esteem and social life.
Why does this happen?
A child may struggle to follow directions due to a hearing impairment, language processing disorder, low attention span, sequencing difficulties, and/or memory deficit.
Milestones for Following Directions
| 1;0-2;0 Years | Following 1-step commands | “Get your shoes” |
| 2;0-3;0 Years | Following 2-step related commands | “Get your shoes and bring to me” |
| 3;0-4;0 Years | Following 2-step related and unrelated commands | “Get your shoes and your socks, and put them on” |
Signs to Look For
- Gives a blank look when prompted with directions
- Requires repetition of directions
- Follows directions indirectly
- Displays distraction when given directions and/or attempting to follow directions
- Looks to others to follow directions
- Falls behind age-appropriate milestones (see above)
- Carries out only one step of multi-step directions
How to Help
Thank you for reading our post Help! My Child Won’t Follow Directions. If your child seems to fall behind the milestones for following directions, it is always recommended to receive a full speech-language evaluation. A speech-language pathologist will be able to determine what specific challenges and needs your child may have, and how to best help him/her. If you live in Florida, please reach out to Exceptional Speech Therapy or Exceptional Teletherapy to schedule a thorough evaluation.
Happy Learning!
Andrea Scola, M.S., CF-SLP
Exceptional Speech Therapy Blog Writer
References:
How to give kids effective instructions. (2020, May 07). Retrieved April 07, 2021, from https://childmind.org/article/how-to-give-kids-effective-instructions/
Miller, S. (n.d.). Ages & Stages: Learning to follow directions. Retrieved April 07, 2021, from https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/articles/teaching-content/ages-stages-learning-follow-directions/
References:
How to give kids effective instructions. (2020, May 07). Retrieved April 07, 2021, from https://childmind.org/article/how-to-give-kids-effective-instructions/
Miller, S. (n.d.). Ages & Stages: Learning to follow directions. Retrieved April 07, 2021, from https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/articles/teaching-content/ages-stages-learning-follow-directions/
Contact Us
If you have any questions about speech therapy in Miami or Doral, Florida or would like to book an appointment for speech therapy, please call Exceptional Speech Therapy at 786.717.5649 or fill out the form below.
11 Tips To Help a Late Talker
11 Tips To Help a Late Talker If you are worried about your child not saying any words yet, you’re not alone! If your toddler (~18 months) seems to have a good understanding of language (e.g., following directions, identifying objects [...]
How to Build Engagement with your Child
How to Build Engagement with your Child Is your child so “busy” that you find it difficult to engage with them? For example, you talk to them and they almost seem to “ignore” you? Or you attempt to play with [...]
Tips on How to Keep Teletherapy Exciting
Tele-therapy, which is a therapy session conducted by a health-care provider via technology, continues to grow and become exceedingly popular. It grew in popularity during 2020, when the world was hit with COVID-19. Now, a few years later in 2023, [...]
