Talking obsessivly
My step son has not yet been diagnosed with ADHD/OCD, but we are in the beginning steps of seeing a specialist to find out what's going on. One thing he does that makes both his dad and I crazy is talking obsessivly about something. Yesterday, he talked for literally hours straight about vaccuum cleaners. He wanted to know about every vaccuum I've had in my life, from the very first to the very last. He discussed the differences between cannisters vs. bags, where the switches are placed, different manufacturers, Grandma's vaccuum, EVERYTHING. After talking about it for an hour or so, he'd go play for a while but as soon as he came back, he'd be talking about the vaccuum again. As hard as we tried to talk about something else, he always brought it back to the vaccuum. I'm wondering if it's a common charecteristic of ADHD/OCD to get stuck on a subject like this.
Hope this help
Understanding ADHD
Although this disorder has been researched and studied for over a century, there are still aspects of it
that are not understood by the general public. ADHD is a disorder that affects a person's ability to
pay attention and focus. This sounds simple enough, but the disorder shows up in people in different
ways.
Some cases of ADHD involve hyperactivity, some do not. Some people are better at keeping their
hyperactivity under control. Also, the general public tends to forget that impulsivity is part of ADHD
as well. Impulsivity covers a wide range of behaviors, from verbal blurting to drug abuse. Because the
description of symptoms has changed so much over the years, many people were not diagnosed with ADHD
until they were adults. With these cases, there are secondary problems that often come with ADHD, such
as depression and anxiety.
Some of the main signs of ADHD are not being able to pay attention to the task at hand, lack of follow
through, loses things easily, makes careless mistakes, has trouble paying attention to details,
difficulties organizing, interrupting others, restlessness and overly active. Not every person has every
symptom, and some symptoms are more severe in some people compared to others with the disorder. This is
why the disorder can be so difficult to discern. Also, many people have trouble with these things at one
time or another. But people with ADHD have such a hard time that it affects them emotionally and
developmentally.
It is still not known exactly why people are born with ADHD. It is known that many cases are genetic,
but not all. Doctors do know that the way your brain is wired will determine whether you have ADHD or
not. People with ADHD have a low level of dopamine in their brains. Dopamine is the neurotransmitter
that affects focus and attention.
I would strongly urge you to look at some sites on autism and see if they describe your child. I agree with Lillian. Sounds more like Aseprgers, where the kids have weird obsessions and speak about it over and over again. They tend to go on and on and not understand that others aren't interested.I also was going to suggest that you look into Aspergers. Anytime I hear ADHD and OCD together, it makes question if it could really be Aspergers. Of course ADHD and OCD can, and do, come together at times, but I think it's wise to look at Aspergers as a possibility as well when you see those two things.
Good luck!
Check out Tony Atwood's site. He has a lot of good info about Asperger's.Thanks all for your suggestions to look in to AS. I've done a bit of reading on line, but most of the other traits don't really apply. He's not emotionally unresponsive or unawre, particularly skilled in a specific area, etc. However, most of what I found was repetitive (how ironic) and vague. I'd love to hear from anybody on this board who has personal experience with AS.
I'll continue to investiagte the possibilities of AS.
Older Mom, thanks for the link to the site. Very informative.
To most people this seems like a petty problem and my frusteration seems unjustified. And maybe the incessant talking in and of itself isn't worth getting so frusterated about. But, combine it with him bouncing off the walls the whole time, and the fact that every single sentence he would start with "Um, Dad" (as if we could possible tune him out and he'd have to reclaim our attention) and by the end of the evening, I was in tears.
It's nice to get advice and support from people who have lived it!
I was told (and this was about ME--therapist thinks I have ADHD on top of bipolar) that the non-stop, disconnected talking is ADHD. You switch from one topic to the other without finishing a thought. Maybe this shows through in my posts...lol. THAT is ADHD chattering. Autistic overtalking is more like a monologue over one obsessive topic that nobody else cares about. Rather than disjointed it is redundant and rambling and the child often sounds like a "Little Professor" about his topic of interest. He doesn't understand that others are bored to death and there is no give-and-take. ADHD kids interupt a lot, but understand the topic being discussed. Aspies often don't notice that nobody is interested in the topic that fascinates him so much. OCD behavior is very much a part of autistic spectrum disorder. It's almost expected. The kids do get "stuck" on a topic that fascinates them and they don't let it go.
Very indepth Asperger's site here. Remember that no child meets every single criteria. The only way to know what he has is to see a NeuroPsych and have oodles of testing done on your child. There is no way to just have any professional see a child for an hour and rule in or out Aspergers.
www.udel.edu/bkirby/asperger/frame1.html
OlderMom,
Excellent site! Thanks!
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