My brilliant constant talker

by Nici
(Leachville, AR, USA)

I am looking for a reason - well, no, not even a reason. Just a method of coping with a child who talks constantly. It is starting to interfere with his education because he is half-way through 1st grade and he still hasn't gotten it under control. He started school in Pre-K, and attended a few ABC / Learning style daycares prior to that. That is 2-1/2 years in a school setting, and even longer in school-like settings that should have allowed for socializing and adjusting to classroom rules and conversational etiquette.




He is extremely bright, outgoing, and eager. He just can't seem to grasp the art of being quiet when necessary.

He shows most of the signs listed under "Proprioceptive Dysfunction" - both "Sensory seeking behavior" and "Difficulty with Grading of Movement". He also exhibits most of the signs listed under "Signs of Auditory Dysfunction" for "Hyposensitivity to Sounds (Under-Register)". His father was diagnosed ADHD, dyslexic, and "mentally and emotionally unstable" at different points of childhood. So far my son doesn't seem to exhibit any life-interfering habits except the talking. He reads very well for his age (57 + words per minute of unfamiliar stories)

I am still trying behavior adjustments - my newest idea is to send an "idea book" to school with him, with instructions to write down the ideas and questions he feels like discussing, so he and I can talk about them the next morning. Maybe that will help teach him both how to be quiet, and how to delay gratification - as well as make him feel like his ideas are important enough to take his time and present them at the proper time and place.



Comments for My brilliant constant talker

Average Rating starstarstarstarstar

Click here to add your own comments

Sep 29, 2015
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		With age comes - only slight changes.
by: Original Poster

The boy is 8 now, and 6 weeks into 3rd grade. He is at a better school now, which helps, and has settled down with most of his physical tics and habits - except the talking. His grades are still top-notch, and he has a 'girlfriend' (! already !). We live in an apartment now, so he gets much more outdoor time and has several rough and tumble friends. He tends to take a leadership role in the group, though that may be because he has more toy guns than the others. The 'idea book' never got off the ground, but his classroom teacher's methods of discipline seem to help. (A reward point system, with chances to earn back lost points.) He really is so much better than when I wrote this post, but the words still pour out of him, as though he will burst if they do not have an open outlet.
Jul 27, 2014
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Another talker
by: Anonymous

My 9yo son is also a constant talker. I had no idea this was a symptom of something - just one more of his eccentric quirks! But it can drive us nuts at times! I have also thought of him carrying a book around and noting down all his ideas and stories instead of verbalising everything all the time, but his literacy skills are also very poor so it takes him ages to laboriously write a couple of lines - way too slow for the speed his mind works. We're in the process of having him assessed to try and get some help for him at school. He has so many of the characteristics on the checklist, and yet I'd never heard of SPD, only auditory processing disorders.
Jan 09, 2014
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		My son seems to have same issues
by: Anonymous

Hi, I read your post and it seems my son has exact same issues as yours. We found out about this when i put him in a private school for pre-k in September. He was almost five then (missed the cut off by 2 months). His teacher brought to my attention that he is struggling with coloring and tracing and i should work on his fine motor skills. Finally i had him evaluated by OT and a few weeks ago found out that he has SPD, in particular, motor planning issues, proprioception and vestibular issues as well. ( i a still trying to understand these terminologies). He is a constant talker as your kid. He self talks all the time while playing by himself. While eating, he cannot focus on eating as he has so many things to say. Speaks off topic as well. Just like you, I am trying to figure out how to make him understand that there is no need to speak out each and every thought in his head. Please post if something works for you.

Click here to add your own comments

Join in and write your own page! It's easy to do. How? Simply click here to return to SPD checklist.