Conversational Skills in Children

Yes. At times it can be very overwhelming for both children and adults with ADHD to participate in a group situation. The number of distractions increases as the number of people increases and many people with ADHD have difficulty filtering out distractions even in a one-to-one setting. Also, transitions in conversation can move at a fast pace in group settings and many with ADHD have difficulty keeping track of conversations. Another difficulty can be the need to wait longer for a turn to speak.

Here are some suggestions for group situations:

• Work on moving the conversation along by asking questions related to what someone was saying.

• Rather than thinking about what you want to say in a large group, learn to just listen, relax and enjoy all the energy and chaos of a group.

• Practice conversation skills in a very small group first (2-3 people) and gradually expand the size of the group.

• If you do like to talk in a large group setting, be careful not to dominate the conversation.