---
title: Understanding trouble following directions
description: When kids and adults don’t follow directions, there’s often something else going on. A common reason is trouble with executive function, a group of skills needed to get through tasks.
slug: why-trouble-following-directions
author: Amanda Morin
reviewer: Bob Cunningham, EdM
published: '2019-08-05T15:07:48.185Z'
thumbnail: https://cdn-images.understood.org/p0qf7j048i0q/2DW9YIbNm7iAPjjAxzzjo7/187eb3e30d3e2b214b2bc1e919e09aba/G1218585484a.png
source_url: https://www.understood.org/en/articles/why-trouble-following-directions
lang: en
---

# Understanding trouble following directions

Many people have trouble following directions. They don’t seem to “listen” when they’re asked to do a task. Even if there’s a negative consequence, they don’t do what they’re supposed to do.

Why does that happen? 

It might seem like laziness or a lack of respect. But when people frequently don’t follow directions, there’s often something else going on. 

A common reason is trouble with executive function, a group of skills needed to get through tasks. Some people also have a hard time processing information or tuning in to what others are saying.

When people have trouble following directions, the results are clear — things don’t get done. Or they get done poorly. But people may also struggle in ways that seem confusing or not directly related. 

For example, kids and adults might: 

- Get easily frustrated when trying to do something
- Agree to do something and then not do it
- Look away or zone out when being given directions
- Get halfway through a task and then stop
- Say they did something when they didn’t

People struggle with directions for different reasons. It’s not a matter of intelligence. It’s caused by challenges with specific skills.

---

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