Have you talked to his pediatrician about it? I wonder if maybe there's a hearing problem at work too. It can be hard to tell how loud you're talking if you can't hear very well. Just a thought...

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This is my first time on this board-- I just wanted to say that I am amazed that I am not the only one with this problem!! My son is almost six and we have struggled with this ever since he began talking. We thought it was because he is the youngest of 4 and felt compelled to yell to be "heard" . we have had his hearing tested and finally our pediatrician says- it is one poss symptom of ADD. This is the first we have been told this! He just started kindergarten and is really struggling. THings seem to be adding up in that direction. Sorry I'm not able to help but I wanted to know you helped me =) Thanks- I'll be watching this thread too.

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My son does the same thing and always has since he learned how to talk. I wish I had a solution for you, but I don't. I'm hoping he will outgrow it as he gets older. Good luck and if you find an answer, please post it.

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My seven year old also speaks too loudly. I am constantly asking him to turn down his volume as well. I hate always having to remind him to do this, as well as just about everything else. I have no solution, but you are not alone!!!!

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My son is almost 10. He was diagnosed w/ ADHD 3 yrs ago (1st grade). But he found his VOLUME button at 6mo old! I never even knew this was a symptom until I read this thread. I find it even more interesting because I was told my whole life (growing up) to talk quieter, "you don't have to yell, we're right here". I have always been loud - especially if I'm excited about something - I tend to talk faster, higher pitched and louder (and always have). This is most interesting because I have an appt. next month to find out if I am ADD (and I'm almost 45!!)

I don't have "the answer" to this situation, but because I heard it all my life, I try to handle it differently w/ my son. I tell him his volume is at about a 10 and I need him to bring it down to about a 6. This seems to make him aware of his volume, and he has a point of reference for what I'm asking him to do, rather than just "be quiet" - which makes them feel like you don't want them talking at all, or don't care about what they're saying. Anyway, that tends to help us (especially in close spaces like the car!) Good luck...

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A child may sincerely intend to lower his speaking volume but still fail to do it. Intentions are very fragile things in a busy mind! If you're not familiar with a device called a MotivAider, you might want to check it out at http://HelpKidsChange.com. It's a simple, private electronic reminding device that enables a child to keep a desired change in behavior on the front burner of his mind.

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We have a house full of ADDers who talk loud. We came up with a little sign. We put our hand on our head. That is the universal sign in our house to "quiet down." It works out in public too. We mix it up. Sometimes, I will say, "Sam, put your hand on your head." He will do it, and I will ask, "What does that mean?" He will say, "Quiet down." Hopefully in a quiet voice...not always. OR I will stop them in mid sentence or get their attention and put my hand on my head and they instantly know to quiet down. Good luck, it is such a challenge!

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My son is 8 years old and he is very, very loud. I am not going to say it is becuase he has ADHD. He spend a lot of time with my mother that is vey loud becuase of hearing loss. So I going to assume that he speaks loud becuase he is around my mother so much. What may work is keeping your voice low when talking with him about lowering his voice, but also when you talk with him keep your voice lower than usual. By him connecting each time you talk with him that you speak lower he may do it in return.

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Sorry not offering my hope....My 10 almost 11 year old daughter is VERY loud, still and it seems to only get worse and the day goes on. As the meds wear off the louder.And the older the stronger the lungs and vocal cords. Her whisper is the right volume for everyday talking. Sometimes I whisper to her so she responds in her "whisper". Just to have some quite conversation. One advantage is these kids have powerful singing voices.

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Hello, I am so happy to hear that I am not alone in this. I love the idea about putting your hand on your head to remind you of the volume. I wil definately have to try that with my 5yr old. I am a singer and she sings as well so the volume is great for that purpose, its when she is sittign right next to me in the house or walking through the mall or store that it is like OMG!!!!! Her hearing tested fine thus far and I have a 10 year old with ADHD so my prayer is that she does not. She has not exhibited any other signs that the loudness so I will try to just focus on that for now. Thank you soooo much for the post. There is hope!!!

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Now I understand that it's not just me- I cringe at my ADHD husband's sometimes loud voice. When he's on the phone I have to leave the room, he's so loud. And if I'm in the car and he's on his cell, I have to cover my ears! He's like this first thing in the morning, too. I'm not sure how to react without insulting him, but it's too uncomfortable to be around him when he's like that. And I don't think a visual cue will work because many times he's not even looking at me when talking. I think I will have to try whispering, hoping it will have the desired effect.

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This would probably only work for little ones but, I heard a person say they had a piece of that white plastic pipe, that was curved like a telephone receiver. They would use it to talk to each other................and the child would hurt his own ears. He would then, automatically, speak more quietly. If an older child would agree to do it, you could ask them to have occasional voice checks to see what they think the best volume would be......."

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My 14 year old daughter has been through neurofeedback which helped temporarily, but she is quite loud also, especially if she is excited or has a strong point to make. I like some of the ideas here, like the piece of pipe (which can be called a "whisper phone" or "whisper reader"). I've seen them used in schools for children who are reading quietly to themselves. It gives them auditory feedback about their reading. Not sure that my teenager would try it, but it sound like a great idea!

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My theory on why ADHDers are so loud is because they have so much going on in their brain, they are trying to speak over everything. My son is seven and is really only loud when unmedicated. I just remind him that he is speaking in an "outside voice". If he continues to speak that loud, I send him outside! He goes out, yells a little, then comes back in with a normal voice. There is no cure, he is not deaf, we just need to "manage" this character trait with all the others.

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It's so refreshing to know that my 5 yr old son is not the only one with this issue! He's currently in the process of diagnosis and so far all signs point to ADHD. At his school the kids pull behavior cards when they have broken a rule or aren't obeying, and several of his cards have been for loudness...saying the teacher's name over and over loudly to get her attention, going to the restroom and talking loudly (which of course echoes, and disrupts nearby classrooms), and just generally hollering. She asked me once about his hearing but I assured her he has had several hearing tests and there are no problems there... He also tends to loudly interrupt the conversations of others, or loudly sing/talk to himself when playing alone. We thought it was just that he wanted attention--and maybe that IS it to a certain extent--but it's interesting to find that others with ADHD children have the same issues! We're hoping once we get him going on some medication this will improve!!

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I am a hearing impaired mother of two boys with ADHD. When my now 10 year old was diagnosed with ADHD at the age of 6, I had many teachers, friends and family members telling me how loud he talked. Since I am profoundly hearing impaired, I didn't really notice how loud he was. During testing at school by the speech pathologist, we discovered that he had difficulty is processing a lot of the sounds and information he hears. I had him tested for Central Auditory Processing Disorder, and it turns out he had it. I had never heard of this before, but my audiologist read the report from the speech pathologist and recommended the testing. His hearing has always tested fine, but this disorder is due to a lapse in the connections between the ears and the brain. He hears it, but can't always correctly process what he hears.

After doing research on the two disorders, I have discovered that ADHD by itself is not an explanation for why a person is loud. However, since sensory disorders tend to go hand-in-hand with the ADHD, it is not uncommon to see volume issues with individuals with ADHD.

My son still talks extremely loud a lot of the time, especially when he's excited. However, one of his accomodations at school is to work with the speech pathologist 2 times a week on tasks that will help develop his auditory skills. This has made a BIG improvement with him, and his confidence level has soared as a result. It is hard to grow up with people constantly telling you to lower your voice or that you are talking too loud. As a parent, I can understand this reaction, but please be empathetic of how your child feels before you say it to them again. If it is something they cannot control without help, it just makes them feel bad to constantly hear this re-direction.

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Jena,

I agree. My ds is 6, a LOUD talker, most likely has ADHD (in process of diagnosis) and his school just found that he has auditory processing issues. He can't filter out the excess stimuli. Curious to see if others connect this with their children as well.

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