
Support the school's efforts to diagnose the cause of your son's problem. They may have him evaluated by both an audiologist for his hearing and a speech-language pathologist for his understanding of speech. Be sure to tell the education team working with your son that he also has problems listening to directions at home.
There are several things that can be done at school to help your child follow directions better including sitting him in the front, away from distractions. At home, you can improve his understanding of directions by following these hints:
- Get your son's attention before giving directions.
- Speak slowly and clearly without overexaggerating your speech.
- Vary loudness to increase attention.
- Give simple directions, and keep them brief.
- In more complicated directions, use words like first, next, and finally.
- Check that your child understands your directions by asking him to repeat or summarize them.
- Encourage him to ask questions when he doesn't understand your directions.
- Try not to show frustration when your child misunderstands directions.