Ask the Horizons Team: My daughter spends too much time repeating TV shows

Question:

My daughter spends a lot of time repeating phrases and conversations from the television shows she watches.  It can really interfere with getting her attention or trying to communicate with her.  It can be really hard to get her to stop.  Any suggestions?

Jim in Grand Haven, Michigan

Answer:

There are few answers to this question and both can be difficult and take time.  The first answer is to eliminate or greatly limit the amount of time your daughter is watching television.  This can seem very difficult or even impossible to do, but in order to help your child reduce the amount of static speech she uses you need to remove the source.  For some families they find it easier to slowly reduce the amount of TV the child watches and for others they feel it is best to just go cold turkey.  You need to decide what is best for your family.

The second answer is for you to begin using more non-verbal communication with your child.  You first must get your child’s attention, which may mean you need to be in your child’s physical space or even touch your child to get her attention.  Once you have her attention then you can use a facial expression, gesture or even a sound to communicate.  Taking the words out of the interaction can improve your child’s ability to process and will also help in reducing the static speech your daughter is using.  This is just the beginning, but can help in getting you started.

Take care,
Erin