Impulsive Speech in ADHD

Kaitlyn Boudreault
6 days ago
7 min read

Do you find yourself interrupting others during a conversation to blurt out a thought that may be unrelated?

Perhaps you notice yourself talking over others or struggling to wait your turn in a conversation.

While this can happen to everyone occasionally, interrupting others constantly is a frequent sign of ADHD known as impulsive communication.

Many people may misunderstand it as rudeness. When someone gets cut off in the middle of their speech, they may think that you aren’t listening or don’t really care to listen to them.

But this isn’t true. Interrupting someone during speech may be a reflection of the way ADHD impacts attention, executive functioning, and impulse control.

An individual with ADHD is most likely listening and likely cares, but the interruptions are a result of their ADHD symptoms and how their brain works.

Blue Sky Learning has a team of neurodiversity-affirming therapists in Ontario, Canada, and neurodivergent coaches internally that can help you manage ADHD-related challenges in a way that works with your brain, not against it.

In addition, this blog will explore the signs of impulsive speech in those with ADHD, the causes, and strategies to support yourself or a loved one who experiences impulsive speech.

What Is Interrupting in ADHD?

One of the core traits of ADHD is impulsivity. This impulsivity can show up during speech or in conversations.

For those with ADHD, it will look like a pattern of speaking impulsively or interjecting in conversations, often before someone else has finished speaking.

Signs of Interrupting in ADHD

Interrupting can manifest in various ways depending on the individual. But here are some common signs:

Feeling Frustrated When Others Speak Slowly: Impatience when conversation pacing feels too slow
Talking Over Others: Speaking before someone finishes their thought
Interrupting Others’ Stories: Interjecting with your own story or opinion while someone else is talking
Difficulty Following Conversation Flow: Losing track of turn-taking or jumping between topics mid-discussion
Frequent Tangents in Conversation: Shifting topics rapidly, sometimes before a point is fully discussed
Blurting Out Answers or Thoughts: Responding impulsively without waiting for the question to be completed
Difficulty Waiting Your Turn: Struggling to pause before sharing input
Impulsive Verbal Responses: Offering immediate feedback or reactions without reflection
Needing to Share Ideas Immediately: Feeling an urgent need to express thoughts as they come

Why Does Interrupting Happen in ADHD?

For many individuals with ADHD, interrupting isn’t intentional disrespect.

Instead, it reflects ADHD-related differences in attention, executive function, and impulse control.

1. Impulsivity

Impulsivity is one of the hallmark traits of ADHD. When you are in a conversation, if you have a thought pop into your head, ADHD often makes it difficult to pause before responding.

Your thoughts may arrive faster than your brain has the ability to filter responses and process them. This may lead to

Blurting out answers before a question is fully asked
Jumping into someone else’s story mid-sentence

2. Object Permanence Challenges

Object permanence is the ability to understand that an object will continue to be there even if you are not able to see, hear, or touch it.

For those with ADHD, the concept of object permanence may be a challenge. As a result, any interesting thought that you believe will disappear if not stated results in you stating the speech, regardless of whether you interrupt someone or not. Because you have a difficult time holding onto the thought, it can result in impulsive interruptions.

3. Attention Shifts or Distractibility

Inattention is a core trait of ADHD. It can cause difficulty sustaining attention and can make waiting for your turn challenging. If your mind is anticipating your response, interrupting becomes a way to keep up with your own thoughts.

Those with ADHD also get easily distracted. If you are thinking of what to say and someone makes a noise or your phone rings, you may lose track of what was going on and interrupt mid-sentence as a result.

4. Emotional Reactivity

Emotional dysregulation is something that is often misunderstood in those with ADHD. But it is something that can impact all areas of your life. Strong excitement, frustration, or enthusiasm about what you want to say can override your ability to wait. Experiencing strong emotions can amplify your interrupting behaviours, even in situations where you genuinely want to listen.

5. Difficulty Reading Social Cues

Some individuals with ADHD may struggle to pick up on subtle social cues that indicate when it’s appropriate to speak. This can lead to unintentional interruptions in group or one-on-one conversations.

The Impact of Interrupting on Daily Life

While interrupting is a natural part of ADHD, it can affect social, academic, and professional life.

You may understand that this is a symptom of your ADHD and the way that your brain works, but your friends or colleagues may perceive interruptions as disrespectful, even when they are unintentional.

If you are constantly interrupting conversations with your friends, they may think that you don’t care about their thoughts or feelings.

In meetings or group discussions, your frequent interruptions may impact collaboration or professional reputation.

As people start to give you feedback on your interrupting behaviours, you may worry that other people consider you socially awkward. This social feedback about interrupting can lead to feelings of shame, guilt, or frustration. Your self-esteem may take a hit.

You may try to suppress your impulsive speech to fit into society, which can create additional mental fatigue and anxiety.

Rejection sensitivity may also start to occur. As you receive additional feedback, you may start to feel negative about yourself and avoid social situations, which could make maintaining relationships even more challenging.

These thoughts and feelings may also run on a loop or result in rumination, which is a common phenomenon that can result in sleep challenges. You may stay up at night and wonder why people don’t like you or why you interrupted a conversation and didn’t just wait.

If you experience these challenges, it’s important to remember that interrupting is not a moral failing. It’s a neurological pattern that can be managed with the right strategies and support.

Strategies to Manage Interrupting in ADHD

Managing interruptions involves a combination of self-awareness, practice, and environmental adjustments. These strategies honour neurodivergent communication styles.

1. Notice the Behaviour

Start with self-awareness. Aim to understand how frequently you tend to speak over others or interrupt others in a conversation. See if you can also pinpoint which situations you interrupt more frequently, whether that is with colleagues, friends, or family. Becoming aware of this behaviour will help to understand how to develop strategies that work for your brain.

2. Pause and Breathe

Before responding in a conversation, try using the STOP technique.

This is a dialectical behavioural therapy technique that involves stopping what you are planning to do, taking a step back, observing the situation, and then proceeding from a state of mindfulness, not impulsiveness.

In the same way that you may give yourself some time before impulsively buying something that you may want, try to do the same with speech.

If this is a challenge for you, add a deep breath and count to three silently. Use this moment to decide whether your input is necessary at the current moment. This brief pause can reduce impulsive verbal responses and prevent interrupting.

3. Use Non-Verbal Language or Physical Cues to Talk in Your Mind

If you want to communicate but you don’t want the other person to see you interrupting, try using body language, physical cues, and facial expressions.

Use their body language to recognize when they may be stopping their speech. You may also wish to use cues to talk in your mind and reduce the urge to speak out loud.

Hold a pen or small object to signal you’re “saving” your thoughts.
Tap your fingers lightly or touch a bracelet as a reminder to pause.
Place sticky notes at your workspace or in meetings as gentle prompts.

4. Scheduled Brain Dump Time

Sometimes, neurodivergent brains have a million thoughts racing through them at once. To reduce the risk of a racing thought causing you to interrupt someone, allocate dedicated time to:

Journal ideas and thoughts
Voice record reflections
Discuss topics in a structured setting

This worry time may reduce the urgency to interrupt spontaneous conversations.

5. Self-Compassion and Humour

Understand that interrupting is a common trait of ADHD. Instead of shaming yourself for experiencing this trait, try to acknowledge it with humour. You could say something like, “I’m excited. Sometimes my brain talks faster than my mouth!”

You could also practice self-compassion by recognizing that impulsivity is neurological, not intentional rudeness. When you interrupt a conversation, instead of beating yourself up for this, treat yourself with kindness, the way you would a friend.

6. Seek Neurodiversity-Affirming Support

ADHD coaches and therapists can help you understand your brain and develop strategies to support yourself. A neurodiversity-affirming approach doesn’t aim to fix you. It aims to develop strategies that work for your brain.

The coach or therapy may help you build awareness of interrupting patterns, develop strategies tailored to your communication style, and practice role-playing conversations to build confidence.

FAQs

Is interrupting common in ADHD?

Yes. Impulsivity, hyperactive thought patterns, and executive functioning differences make interrupting a frequent trait in ADHD.

Does interrupting mean I’m rude?

No. Most interrupting in ADHD is unintentional and reflects neurological differences rather than disrespect.

How can I reduce interrupting without suppressing my voice?

Use pauses, cues, scheduled “brain dump” time, and structured conversation techniques to share ideas thoughtfully while respecting others’ turns.

Can ADHD coaching help with social communication?

Absolutely. Neurodiversity-affirming coaching provides strategies tailored to your brain, helping you navigate conversations, work relationships, and social settings with confidence.

Book a Free Consultation With Blue Sky Learning

Are you struggling with interrupting, impulsive speech, or navigating social interactions with ADHD?

Book a free 20-minute consultation with one of Blue Sky Learning’s neurodiversity-affirming ADHD coaches or therapists to create a personalized plan for communication strategies and self-regulation skills.

Email hello@blueskylearning.ca or book on our website.

Book a Free Consultation