They asked the same question fifteen times and I snapped

What to do right now

The repetition was not intentional. They may have forgotten they asked, or the answer did not register, or the anxiety behind the question was not resolved by the answer. Your snap is sensory overload meeting their working memory gap. Step back. Answer once more, slowly. If the question keeps coming, address the anxiety underneath it, not the question itself.

What your brain just did

Your body

Fifteen repetitions of the same question overloaded your auditory processing. The snap was your sensory system reaching threshold. You did not fail. You filled up.

Your brain

Perseverative questioning in ADHD children often signals anxiety or a working memory loop where the answer did not stick. They are not testing you. The question keeps arising because the answer did not reach the part of the brain that resolves it.

What this did

Address the feeling underneath the question, not the question itself. 'You keep asking about tomorrow. Are you worried about it?' Often resolves the loop faster than answering the question a sixteenth time.

What your child is experiencing

Their body

They keep asking because the answer did not stick or did not resolve the anxiety driving the question. They are not trying to annoy you. The question keeps arising because something underneath it has not been addressed.

Their brain

Perseverative questioning can signal working memory failure (the answer drops out) or anxiety (the answer does not resolve the underlying worry). Both are ADHD-related. The repetition is a symptom, not a strategy.

What they need

Address the feeling under the question. 'You keep asking about tomorrow. Are you worried about something?' Often resolves the loop faster than answering the surface question again.