Talking nonstop makes it hard to hear anyone else (Photo by RDNE Stock project / pexels)Q: My heart is broken for my daughter. She’s 9 years old, has ADHD, and no friends. She takes medication, which helps with schoolwork, but this hasn’t fixed her relationships with classmates. Part of the problem might be that she talks nonstop, which annoys other kids. I’ve heard her go on and on with these long, involved stories, monopolizing the conversation. She keeps talking when it’s clear the other kids want to move on or do something else. She also tends to interrupt people or just not listen to what they’re saying. At this age, everyone else seems to have one or more friends they like to hang out with, but my daughter is left out. Is it too late for my daughter to make friends?

The social challenges are often the hardest part of ADHD. While you can't make friends for your daughter, there is a lot you can do to help her, so please don't think it's "too late"!

Just like some kids need extra help learning math, some kids need help learning to get along with peers. The fact that you’ve identified nonstop talking as something she does that annoys her peers is great because it means you can help her find ways to address that. Here are some possibilities:

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