Never stops to draw breath

[ScoobySnacks2017]

Anyone else got an AD/AS who never stops talking or moving? Ours is 5, she's been with us over a year and most of the time she's a bouncy chatty little delight. But last few days she's been off the scale hyper and it is doing our heads in...the anxiety is infectious. It often feels like I don't have the space to think because she is constantly either showing me something or asking me something (and very often asking a question that I have only just replied to). And in the nano-seconds when she is doing neither of those two things (i.e eating, walking up the stairs) she is humming or singing.
We know she is hungry for attention and most of the time I don't think we do too bad a job of giving it to her. But it's like filling a bottom-less pit of need.
Am taking her to her first yoga class on Tues...fingers crossed that makes a even small difference! I tried doing deep breathing with her with our hands on each other's tummies and she just started laughing and panting like a dog!!
And breaaaathe.........

Nonsense chatter, I believe it's called - the constant stream of noise that is code for "don't forget I am here, connect connect connect" but in reality sounds like "is that the swimming pool? Is it blue? Is it wet? Can we swim in it? Is this my swimsuit? What colour is it? Are those the steps?" - when standing right beside a pool in swimsuits

You have my sympathy, and empathy! It helped to realise I don't actually have to answer every single question, a "mmmm" will do, a lot of the time. Touch helps, and a quick "I see you, I hear you, you are safe". The invisible string book can be reassuring, and Ladybird's Amazing Relaxation is a good book to learn relaxing...but both of those are part of a very long game.

Would be interested to hear how you get on with the yoga.

Ah yes the unfillable hole - its a thing.

My son is 14, never shuts up, talks to himself all the time. I've learnt to tune it out.

A year is not that long really - you are still finding your feet as a family. I know this sounds a bit off the wall but do you think she is affected by the weather at all ? Its so wild and windy, and if you have been cooped up maybe its a touch of cabin fever.

enjoy the yoga ( and wine!)

Oh I like the wind theory.....could be. We all definitely have cabin fever, AD was off school Thurs and Fri with a cold and slight fever, that's probably a factor too.
OH and I are planning an early family trip out tomorrow as it looks like the weather is perking up....getting outside usually saves us!
Generally I can tune out a lot of the chatter too, it just felt a bit manic in its quality today/yesterday which alarmed me. (While also driving me crazy.)

Also....what's the Invisible String book?

DD1 is a wonderful child, provided she is constantly entertained, but not overstimulated and tired out but not allowed to get overtired.

At some point I'm sure it'll get easier. Teenage years are probably a doddle :-)

We get nonsense chatter too, sometimes, especially in the car it escalates into a meltdown which can be really stressful. My little one used to have hearing issues, so speech is a little delayed and he gets stressed if he knows you haven't understood him (we cannot fob him off with words such as 'that's nice'). It has got better because we used to have to repeat everything he said back to him to ensure he knew he had been heard.

This sounds a bit crazy, but stick with me: One day I was blowing up a balloon and the kids were mesmerised, so now if I feel like the situation is escalating, we all pretend to blow up balloons. I make really exaggerated blowing noises and start blowing as fast as they are talking and then slow it down and breathe deeper. This has saved my sanity and my little boy then takes over - and takes us on an adventure - he blows the balloon so big that the car takes off and we start flying! His imagination is so lovely (he's 4).

The wind thing is a thing apparently, I've heard teachers say that kids get hyper when it is windy. Then throw in the cabin fever as well!!

It's exhausting isn't it, enjoy your wine!!

Thank you for this. My daughter had hearing issues that have only been resolved recently. Her speech is delayed but we understand a lot of it. We have to repeat everything back.

Now I had though this was why she constantly chatters to us (she is 3). It's the repeating over and over that drives us insane, even when I give a proper response.It goes like this:
Her: look at that dog!
Me: yes isn't he a lovely dog
Her:yes! Look mummy! Look! That dog!
Me: yes, I've already told you I have seen it.
Her: the dog! Look!

Her hearing is fine now by the way. We aren't sure if she does it because she is frustrated that she can't join in with conversation (speech delayed) or whether it's attention. It is exhausting though and I must admit there have been times I've asked her to stop talking. After a long day when I'm trying to navigate traffic I just can't think!

Oh and stock responses like "mmmm" and "yes" absolutely don't work for mine either. I wish they did

Love the balloon blowing idea! OP, the invisible string book is a story about children who hear thunder and are a bit scared, so their mum tells them a story about how we're all joined together by invisible strings to the people we love, that can never be broken no matter how far they stretch (even to grandma in heaven? Yes), and when we feel wobbly we give a little tug on the string and the person who loves us feels it and sends extra love back. Now that we know the story so well, I can point at my heart and pretend to pull a string out a few inches, then point at DD and she pats her heart and seems to feel a bit calmer. Assuming I catch the right moment, and she's not too far into a panic.

No "one" thing works all the time, but that one works for us more often than most. I hope the wind drops and you get out soon, and that it helps. Cats go loopy when it's windy, I don't know why I hadn't thought of children doing the same!

Our girl is/was speech delayed too - I sometimes think all this chatter is making up for lost time. Also she probably spent those silent years so frustrated that she has carried through a legacy of feeling that she has to make a constant effort to be heard.
Oh so exhausting though. Sometimes my stock 'oh yeah' will satisfy, sometimes she let's out a pained 'mummy, I listen you, now you listen me!!' which I can't help but respect (especially as it was probably my line to begin with).
Autumn Bloom - thanks for the balloon trick, will deffo try that!
And thanks for all your comments. It does help to know we're not the only ones experiencing this!

Magic Keys - thanks. Lovely story, another one for my back pocket 😊

I wonder if my daughter feels a desperate need to be heard too. When we adopted her at 10months she was pretty much silent apart from lots of laughing. No babbling etc. So now she is probably making up for lost time!

Oh you’ve described my 7 year old, and sometimes yes the chatter is about her becoming dysregulated so I’ll have her get a book or a jigsaw or something that forces her to slow down a bit. I’ll also try to verbalise what I’m seeing and feeling (you’re really really chatty today, I wonder if you’re feeling so excited about X, worried about Y), to try and build emotional literacy.

Sometimes I’ll pop the tv on for half an hour just to let me get some headspace.

Sarah Naish from naotp calls this nonsense chatter! It is the need to feel you are connected to them and that they are safe. She has a useful training clip on this if you are a member. The one thing I took from it was the phrase “ mummies ears are full” sometimes I will say mummies ears are full but I will come and talk to you after I have drank this coffee or done this task etc. I might turn over the 5 or 10 minutes sand timer to show them when that will be. The important thing is to make sure you do reconnect when promised so they can trust that you will.

Sarah Naish has a book for children called Charley Chatty which might help. My two love the Invisible String book too.