Hi there:

This is a new one... I've heard of children with sensory processing problems overloading in very loud environments, but your son almost seems to have the opposite problem - It sounds like he needs the volume up very high in order to concentrate on what he's watching.

Is your TV in a loud area of the house with lots of distractions? Is he watching TV while dinner is being cooked, dogs are running around, etc.? I wonder if finding a 'quiet spot' to watch TV would be a solution? Or perhaps you set an approved volume level and for every notch it goes up, he loses a minute of TV privileges?

It's not about volume specifically, but here's a great ADDitude article about ADHD children and TV.

Good luck!

Quote

i read somewhere loudness is a symptom of adhd. i can't remember where, tho. i have noticed our boys (1 w/ dx 8 y.o, 1 possibly adhd 7 y.o.1 the youngest "copycat" 6 y.o) .we have had battles over tv volume many times. we will now set the volume and confiscate the clicker. if the volume goes up, the tv goes off. period.it takes alot to deal with the battles after the tv goes off, but it seems to be working now. if the kid watching can't hear because the others are being loud, the others are to leave the room.

we flex the rules, too. if its a weekend afternoon, we'll allow grown-up loud (kid loud will make your ears bleed) as long as the grown ups are busy in another room, it works out pretty well. i also tell them if i can hear it in another room, it needs to be turned down '2 or 3 clicks'. that gives them a little power (they'll usually pick 2 clicks!) while still going by the rules. we also have earplugs handy for car rides!the battle can be rough, but we all need to put on our 'bad guy hats' sometimes to win the war. good luck and hope it'll help.

Quote

Brenda, is your child tuned in--hyperfocusing--on what he's watching? Or is he often playing a game or doodling and so forth? If it's the latter, maybe the sounds from the TV just act as distraction so he can better concentrate on the activity he's really engaged in.

As the previous poster suggests, start setting limits on TV watching and negotiate keeping the volume at a normal level. When you bring up the subject, turn the TV off so you get his full attention (and of course so you don't have to yell). Tell him what you expect and what the consequences will be--but offer alternatives: lowering the volume to a quiet setting in exchange for a new book, cutting tube time for thirty minutes of special play time with Mom.

Try these tips on giving good instructions. Being clear and detailed about the ground rules is so important, especially with ADHD kids! Good luck.

Quote

Hi Brenda.. My husband and I have an 8 year old son diagnosed with ADHD and we have noticed "loud" playing a part in t.v. volume and his voice when he is either enjoying what he is watching or is excited to tell us about something... more than a normal excitement voice and more than just turning it a little up. We had his hearing checked to just rule out a hearing problem because of the volume he would sometimes watch tv and his voice sometimes when he would tell us about something.. but it has been our experience that there is no medical issue other than a link with his ADHD and his enjoymjent... we simply remind him he doesn't need it that loud and to turn it down or turn it off... and when he's speaking if it's making my ears hurt, I'll stop him and say, "not so loud" and he'll lower his voice.. It hasn't been anything a little reminder hasn't solved. Hope it helped, Good luck.

Quote