Discussion: Ways to Help with Excessive Talking

Tips for Teaching Self control over Excessive Talking

• Talking Breaks: If you have a child that talks excessively, teach them about “talking breaks”- this is a period where it is time to stop and take a break. Get out a kitchen timer and set it for 1 minute, then 2 minutes… have them build up to learning how to control their talking for longer and longer periods. Don’t punish when they don’t succeed… instead reward when they do. Start short, with an amount of time that is achievable, and explain to them the process, “Joey, we are going to try a talking break for 1 minute and if you do not talk for the whole minute, you will receive…(a lollipop, a point, an extra story…)”

• Three Question Limit: If your child asks too many questions, especially impulsively without really listening to the answers, try the 3-question limit. This will help encourage them to stop and think about what they really want to ask. Set it up such as, “Mary, I will answer your questions, but we are only going to be allowed to ask 3 questions at a time so think of your questions carefully because when we get to 3, we have to stop.” Again, if they can manage to stop and think about their questions, reward. If they still want to keep going after 3, simply state, “our limit was 3 questions and you asked them already” and quickly re-direct them to an activity, especially the first few times you do this. Often these children get so focus and determined to keep going, so state your purpose and quickly change the topic or scenery.