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Interrupting others

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Summary

  • Interrupting or speaking before thinking may differ from struggling to focus while listening.
  • Multilingual adults reported less interrupting in second or third languages, but listening was not always easier.
  • Research in children suggests that vocabulary and grammar cannot fully explain difficulties with timing in conversation.

Jumping in and missing what was said may be different difficulties

Proposed in research

In a self-report survey of multilingual adults, those with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) more often reported talking too much, interrupting frequently, and speaking before thinking. They also reported difficulty concentrating while listening to conversations. These two kinds of difficulty changed differently across languages(Köder et al., 2024).

Understanding a difficult conversation means distinguishing between words coming out too quickly and the other person’s words not sinking in. “Not listening carefully” does not explain every case.

Fewer interruptions in another language do not mean easier listening

Proposed in research

In the same survey, adults with ADHD reported less excessive talking, interrupting, and speaking before thinking when using a second or third language. But participants both with and without ADHD found it harder to concentrate on listening to others in their third language(Köder et al., 2024).

Someone appearing quieter in one language does not mean that all their communication difficulties have eased.

Strong language skills do not guarantee good conversational timing

Proposed in research

A systematic review of children with ADHD found more difficulties with speaking at inappropriate moments, participating in conversations, and telling stories coherently. Basic language skills, such as vocabulary and grammar, were related to these difficulties but could not fully explain them(Carruthers et al., 2021).

Being able to speak and understand language does not mean a child can consistently wait for their turn to speak.

Evidence

References (2)
  1. Cohort studyComparing pragmatic abilities across multiple languages in adults with ADHD: Insights from a self-report questionnaireKöder, Rummelhoff, Garraffa (2024). Clinical Linguistics & Phonetics
  2. ReviewThe profile of pragmatic language impairments in children with ADHD: A systematic reviewCarruthers, Taylor, Sadiq, Tripp (2021). Development and Psychopathology