Social Skills - How to Improve Your Child’s Listening Skills

By Stuart Ackerman

Some children have difficulty listening because they cannot divide their attention or they selectively choose not to hear.

This problem occurs both in the home and at school.  Some students continuously miss instructions, directions, and important concepts.  This can have a detrimental affect on learning and social skills.

It seems that children are captivated by television and video games but not books nor verbal instructions.  Unfortunately, the ability to follow a fifty minute math lesson is becoming an arduous task.

There are some ways that you can help your child learn to stay focused.  Try some of the following and see what works best for your child.

·         Have your child’s hearing checked by your doctor.

·         Discuss and decide, with your child, a predetermined signal (e.g. clapping hands, turning off the light…) before giving verbal instructions.  This will trigger other sensory cues that your child may be more sensitive to.

·         Create a reward system.  Have your child earn points (or any type of fun reward) for following verbal instructions.  This will reinforce desired behavior.

·         Encourage your child to ask for clarification and to have instructions repeated if needed.  Some children miss instructions the first time and are reluctant to ask for them again out of fear of embarrassment.

·         Eye contact!  Constantly remind your child to make eye contact when talking.  The simple act of eye contact will create a situation whereby your child must pay attention.

·         Make sure that your verbal instructions are gentle and supportive and not threatening.

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