Adapted from ADDitude Magazine

A child who interrupts constantly or talks excessively can "put off" other children and teachers. While having something to say about everything may delight grandparents and family friends, it may be a barrier to social acceptance by peers.

Most children incorporate social skills by simply monitoring and mimicking the behavior of others. Children with ADHD may have difficulty incorporating these skills. They may not be attentive enough to the details of social interaction and therefore may need help developing critical social skills.

What Helps

Be Your Child's Teacher:

• Be specific about when to talk and when not to talk. Although children with ADHD frequently forget these instructions, they can be coached to stop and notice what's going on around them.
• Teach your child to follow social cues: are other children really listening to him or her? Are others laughing at the wrong times? Are others looking uncomfortable? By noticing the reactions of others, children can monitor their own behavior.

Children with ADHD often interrupt because they're afraid they'll "lose the thought." Teach them to write down their thoughts, so they'll remember them when it's time to speak.

Other Helpful Tips:

• Sometimes game playing can be instructive. Games like "Red Light, Green Light" or "Simon Says" teach children to focus on a set of rules and pay attention to clues.
• Simple, prearranged hand cues can reorient a child away from talking and back to class work or homework. For example, patting a table can indicate, "You're talking too much; get back to work."

Children and adolescents with ADHD may need help understanding things that many children pick up for themselves, like when to talk and when not to talk. Children with ADHD need specific instructions, reminders, and drills to help them at school and at home.

How do I deal with my child's distractibility?