Do adult ADHDers commonly talk in higher voice?

[Sugar_Shane]

I’ve always talked in a almost a nasal somewhat higher speaking voice than I believe is not what my actual speaking voice is. My wife noticed when I was on meds (i’m a nonresponder and had to stop) that my speaking voice was lower and calmer when I was on meds.

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[dithl]

Voice problems are common – too loud, too quiet. I believe it’s due to a problem with not being able to self-regulate – maybe not processing how loud our voices are and / or not responding accurately by raising or lowering our volume? Me, I tend to talk too quietly, even when making an effort. It gets worth with fatigue or overwhelm.

It would make sense that our perception of the pitch of our voice could be problematic too. When I get surprised or excited by something, I tend to go up an octave. Would be embarrassing if it wasn’t so funny 🙂

Neat observation. Maybe you were responding more to meds than you realized?

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[Sugar_Shane]

No, meds werent for me.

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[wiredonjava]

Me, I tend to slur a lot. People might think I’m drunk, even though I’m an abstainer (alcohol makes me quite depressed) I also seem to talk fast and ‘on the run’ -maybe to avoid eye contact? So, no surprise, I much prefer the written word as a result these pesky behaviours!!!

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[lollibyte]

It seems most of the times I either shout or mumble. I also stutter a bit, or use fill in words and ridicilously long sentences. When I’m tired, I unconciously might start to childish manner/voice, like you know, you talk to kids. Then again, I also got Dyslexia, so it messes things up a bit.

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[eris]

I don’t seem to have a problem with pitch, but I had to learn to modulate. I need no microphone. Everyone used to know when I was in the room. People would often say, “You’re shouting.” or “Why are you screaming at me?” IDK why I am putting this in the past tense. I talk loud, I talk often. But I have learned to be conscious of it, like so many other things that come naturally to me that just piss people off!

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[kayou]

I have had issues with mys speech as long as I can remember.  Both too high and too fast.  It became a real issue in school because of public speaking assignements.  I finally found a temporary solution about 7 years ago online which was to learn to breathe like a singer.  Then a therapist introduced my to cardiac coherence which is an alternative therapy that recommeds that 3 times a day at a rate of 6 breathes a minute, I do 5 minutes of deep breathing, (the 365 principal) I would never have made the connection, but it seems it has to do with my breathing.  When I am breathing from the diaphragm  (like a singer, the speed, volume, tone of my voice is much more “normal” and pleasant.  Other symptoms are positively affected by this type of excercise were that my writing was legible.  I have always had to re write my notes as I noticed that I cannot compose/think and write neatly at the same time.  Which is why I prefer to type everything instead of writing.  But it seems as if I clench my gut and stop breathing properly when I am formulating my thoughts into words, which happens both when I speak or when I write.

When I do this regularly, there are other benefits which I think are side effects of general mindfulness.  As if my shallow breathing and clenched gut are the beginning of a chain of subconscious behaviours.  Deep diaphragm breathing leads to regulated speech and writing, and better posture, relaxed neck and shoulders, less likely to be frustrated and disturbed, less lassitude and sharp peaks of energy, more aware of changes in my body and emotions,  better able to identify feelings and emotions (for example, I know sooner that I will be hungry, and can differentiate between hungry and anxious), and my movements and actions are more controlled in general.  Being aware of my mind/body sooner means that I have more time and energy to prepare for them.  So I can get a healthy snack instead of just grabbing the chips in the vending machine etc.

One obvious positive affect is that my singing has also improved.  This is probably not ADHD related but it may be indicative of whether or not this trick will work for others,  I have a really hard time singing, in that it is physically painful to my throat.  One verse in church and I’m done till the next song.

There are several how to guide to correct breathing for singing online.  (it’s the type I breathing I tend to use naturally when I am blowing up a balloon, or blowing bubbles.

Please write back if this helps.

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[Chandelure]

Has any one noticed their tendency to speak in silly sounding voices because you find it rewarding in some way. Others tend to think its annoying because your hyper and you keep doing it over and over again. I have also known other hyperactive AD/HD youth who make shrill noises repetitively, also noises like chicken noises etc.

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[Patte Rosebank]

For some of us, this leads to cartoon voice-work.

I voiced 31 characters on the kids’ show “Mighty Machines”. It was more like play than work.

I just voiced a bumper for an internet radio show, and I used one of my silliest, highest voices.

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[madconcertpianist]

i’ve told people (normals) that I’d make one hell of a voice actor

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[eris]

I can make the sound of a loose fly wheel on a car-to the point that my “audience” has to put their fingers in their ears. Do cars still have fly wheels? I can also sing in perfect pitch to any Ramblin’ Jack Elliot song. I used to do this on command for my husband, before he started to hate me.

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[eris]

I can make the sound of a loose fly wheel on a car-to the point that my “audience” has to put their fingers in their ears. Do cars still have fly wheels? I can also sing in perfect pitch to any Ramblin’ Jack Elliot song. I used to do this on command for my husband, before he started to hate me.

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[eris]

I can make the sound of a loose fly wheel on a car-to the point that my “audience” has to put their fingers in their ears. Do cars still have fly wheels? I can also sing in perfect pitch to any Ramblin’ Jack Elliot song. I used to do this on command for my husband, before he started to hate me.

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[Patte Rosebank]

I found that I could go even higher, if I inhaled instead of exhaling. It takes a lot of control to be able to do this without taking in so much air that the throat tightens up.  I use inhaling to imitate the squeak of a tiny kitten.

Years ago, I made the mistake of trying to sing through terrible laryngitis.  I completely lost my voice for more than a week (couldn’t even whisper), and when my voice came back, I discovered that, when I yawned a certain way, I could produce a loud, piercing throat-whistle, like a subway train going around a curve of wet track. Evidently, I’d torn a hole in my vocal cords.

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[Anonymous]

Internet problems, keep double posting. :-l

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[Author]

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