What is a One-Sided Conversation

When the student is talking non-stop to another person and doesn’t break to let the other person say something or change the topic

What to Do

1. Demonstrate what a one-sided conversation sounds like (Record the child doing it and have him watch or start a one-sided conversation with him where he doesn’t get to talk)

2. Ask the student how it feels to be on the other side of that.  Explain that he is doing that

3. Outline rules of conversation with the child.  Ask him what he thinks are reasonable rules to follow to make sure he doesn’t monopolize the conversation.  Watch video tapes of normal conversations if he needs help.  Possible rule ideas:

• Speak for 30 seconds max before pausing to let the other person say something (or a number of sentences)
• When asking questions, pause until the other person responds
• After every 2 minutes, ask the other person a question that’s related to what you’re talking about (like “what do you think of that” or “has that ever happened to you”)

4. Teach the child how to look for signs that the other person is bored, uninterested, or confused (body language)

5. Practice normal conversation with the student and correct him when he violates a rule

6. Bring in other students to converse with him, video tape and review afterward with him so he can critique himself