How can you connect this new skill to the student’s priorities? How can you assure ownership by making the development of this skill the student’s goal rather than just your goal for the student?
Use a social narrative, particularly a situational story, to explain why following instructions is important. Following instructions is instrumental in keeping a job. Not following instructions in school leads to poor grades, frustration, and potentially fewer options in post-school environments. In fact, it may arguably be one of the most important skills as without following instructions properly, one cannot do their job properly. Explaining the importance of this skill in the job setting, as well as in other life settings, should increase the student’s buy-in.
As you introduce this skill, how will you incorporate (visually, thematically) the student’s unique interests?
Can you make it visually clear to the student who is resistant to change that his assumption is only one way of looking at things? Can your use of visual supports and self-assessments help get agreement that there is a problem, get agreement on the solution, and create the motivation for change?
For the student who is particularly resistant to changing his ineffective approach to following instructions, it may be that the process of listening and comprehending verbal information is exhausting. Our emphasis on verbal comprehension in school environments is pervasive. Listening to the constant verbal barrage all day may be aversive. Ignoring or tuning out can be a coping strategy for the student when faced with verbal overstimulation. If this is the case, the instructor is encouraged to incorporate visual instructional strategies into every aspect of the student’s instruction. Consider classroom accommodations that need to be addressed within an IEP or 504 Plan.
Priming is a form of negotiation that can reframe and sharpen a student’s assessment of self. Below are the self-assessment tools that align with this intervention topic:
"Social Communication - Workplace Hierarchies"
Interspersal is a proven technique involving the presentation of familiar, higher success tasks with the new, more challenging task. When it is appropriate, are you varying the activities to maintain the student’s confidence and focus?
In the beginning of teaching the student a system for following instructions, include familiar tasks that the student can complete with little assistance. In this stage, the purpose is to teach the process of following instructions, not necessarily to teach the student a particular task. As the student experiences more success with following the system of instructions, then introduce less familiar or more challenging steps or tasks.
If, on the other hand, the student’s verbal processing is not compromised but his distractibility or ‘working memory’ strategies are problematic, set up practice in using an individualized coping strategy to assure performance. For instance, after the student engages in repeated practices in a) orienting and repeating the instruction or b) orienting and writing down the instruction, provide practice activities in which instructions are interspersed within the activity to improve his fluency in using the strategy.
Before the student encounters a situation, how do you orient him to the materials he will use?
For the student with serious organizational difficulties and verbal processing issues, orienting the student to materials he will use is an important step that often gets over-looked. Within the list of instructions, make it clear where the student can find their materials. For example, in a written list, write “Folders can be found in the supply room.”
For some students, it may be helpful to organize their materials ahead of time so that the student is more successful in completing the task. That is, bring the materials to their work space and organize them in bins, trays, or other containers rather than instructing them to gather the materials themselves. For more information about organization of materials, read Organizing Around Space and Materials.
For the student with distractibility or less significant working memory issues, he may need to have a specific place to write down what he hears (an instruction pad, a specific place in his planner, a mobile recording device that can audio record instructions or take a photo of instructions written on the board, etc.). Orient him to these tools prior to situations where he is likely to encounter instructions. Mini practice sessions with these tools, just prior to expected behavior, may also be necessary.