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why does my son talk to himself while watching TV


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okay. i feel a little silly asking this, but it is really baffling my husband and me.

 

a little background first: my little boy will be 8 at the end of next month. he was always sick as a baby - lots of ear infections and strep throat, tonsillitis, mono, pneumonia, yucky nose, circles under eyes. milk intolerance. had adenoids and tonsils out at 2. tubes in ears at age 1. very angry baby and toddler

 

he is growing up to be a great kid though and we have really worked through most of his health and behavioral things. he does have ADHD tendencies (but no formal diagnosis). he takes "attentive child" everyday (OTC homeopathic for concentration), and it has helped him tremendously. huge difference in his behavior when not on it.

 

okay...just adding that info because i know in these types of threads it can be useful to those replying.

 

issue that's weirding us out:

my husband and i are really trying to figure out what is going on with him currently, and whether or not we should even be worried. whenever my little guy watches TV he constantly talks (kinda mumbles) a lot. he is mostly repeating aloud whatever he is watching. often repeating the phrases that the characters have just said. he does talk to himself sometimes during play if he's all alone, but i imagine many children do that. this TV thing though is really odd. it's been going on for months. in fact, he is doing it right now as i'm typing. my husband and i usually ignore it or nonchalantly tell him to stop talking aloud please. we don't really make a big deal about it, so i know it isn't for attention.

 

lastly, he snorts (that sounds so weird typing out). i've always though the snorting was allergy related and perhaps a little bit of a habit now.

 

fwiw, he adapts well socially. he is not awkwad with other kids or anything.

 

anyway. hope this makes sense.

 

thoughts? how would you handle this? anything to even worry about?

 

TIA:)

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My 12 year old has been doing this for years. I think most boys just make a lot of noise. However, with mine, it gets worse when he's had more than a couple hours of technology time or is stressed. You may want to consider cutting back his time and see if that helps.

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behaviors? Could it be that he likes hearing the sounds of voices interacting with the television? I come from a family that "communicates" with the TV even on commercials! At times, it's strange not hearing other voices giving feedback. I enjoy going to movies where the audiences respond verbally to what's happening onscreen.

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My 12 year old has been doing this for years. I think most boys just make a lot of noise. However, with mine, it gets worse when he's had more than a couple hours of technology time or is stressed. You may want to consider cutting back his time and see if that helps.

 

thank you. it makes me feel so much better to read that your son does it too! my little guy doesn't have tons screen time. in fact, he had friends come over after church & they just left an hour ago. we are now having a chill night...ate supper and now watching TV. he has been talking through it all though. non-stop. in fact, whenever he watches TV, he talks through the entire show in a mumbly voice. it's really weirding us out. glad to read it is normal:)

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My ds5 does this. He is very smart (not to brag, but some of my kids are, some aren't as... it's just life). He does it because he wants to interact mentally with the characters/show. He says things like, "That's what you think but it's not going to turn out to be true." or "Oh, that's easy, she's hiding in the closet." or "That's what you said last time!" He is sort of heightening the entertainment for himself by making it interactive. Could that be it?

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behaviors? Could it be that he likes hearing the sounds of voices interacting with the television? I come from a family that "communicates" with the TV even on commercials! At times, it's strange not hearing other voices giving feedback. I enjoy going to movies where the audiences respond verbally to what's happening onscreen.

 

yes, it may be something that simple for sure.

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That is one of the symptoms of CAPD. I would google CAPD and see if he has other symptoms.

 

i will definitely google that! thank you.

 

My ds5 does this. He is very smart (not to brag, but some of my kids are, some aren't as... it's just life). He does it because he wants to interact mentally with the characters/show. He says things like, "That's what you think but it's not going to turn out to be true." or "Oh, that's easy, she's hiding in the closet." or "That's what you said last time!" He is sort of heightening the entertainment for himself by making it interactive. Could that be it?

 

this could be true for my son as well, but i don't *think* so. only because he isn't really dialoguing with the TV, he is just repeating the words that the last character spoke in a soft voice.

 

 

BTW - first time i have ever done a multiple quote!!!!!:)

Edited by mytwomonkeys
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That is called Echolalia.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Echolalia

 

How does he do academically? Does he have any learning disabilities or delays?

 

This is true. It could also be a tic, called 'echo phenomenon'. The sniffing could also be a tic; sniffing is a common tic.

 

Maybe google 'tic disorders' and see if anything clicks for you. (Zee had transient tic disorder, which he has outgrown.)

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:iagree: that this can be consistent with echolalia.

 

Does he repeat the lines at other times when he's not watching TV?

 

no. we do not notice it at all outside of the TV. thank goodness! right??

 

This is true. It could also be a tic, called 'echo phenomenon'. The sniffing could also be a tic; sniffing is a common tic.

 

Maybe google 'tic disorders' and see if anything clicks for you. (Zee had transient tic disorder, which he has outgrown.)

 

i will google this. thank you.

:iagree:

 

i did google CAPD. that really resonated with me a lot. the only thing that i don't see in my son though is the struggling with spelling, reading, or auditory math. i think his progression is coming along really well in those areas. everything else was fairly spot on though.

 

 

anyway. lots to mull over. i am so grateful we are homeschooling though. i can really evaluate and meet his needs best this way. thanks again everyone. my husband and i have read through your thoughtful replies together and we will continue to research.

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