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Developing language for life



Twins and language development

Boys playing. Photo:Sure Start

Twins' mothers 'need more advice'

Two thirds of parents of twins and multiple births are being denied access to vital birth advice, BBC News reports. In a recent poll conducted by Tamba (Twins and Multiple Births Association), 1,300 mothers were surveyed. Only 36% of them had been offered specific parenting education sessions to prepare them for caring for twins, triplets or more.

According to Tamba, evidence shows tailored parenting advice makes a difference to outcomes - newborn babies are less likely to suffer problems or require medical interventions and are also less likely to have a preterm birth.

Mothers are also less likely to require lengthy hospital stays or experience complications, including post-natal depression (PND). Overall, 17% of the mothers surveyed experienced depression, which is nearly double the widely reported estimate of all mothers who develop PND. For mothers who did access targeted education classes the rate was 15%, compared with 19% for those who did not have the classes.

Tamba chief executive Keith Reed said: "At the moment it is a matter of luck if parents-to-be get on to education classes tailored to multiple pregnancy to help prepare them. The rest are left scrabbling around on the internet for advice.

"This education should be the rule, not the exception."

Multiple Births Foundation director Jane Denton agreed there was great inconsistency in provision. She said multiple birth parents "need specific support to help them cope with the practicalities of having two or more new babies. They need support to establish breast feeding.

"Equally important is looking at strategies so the parents do not become completely exhausted through caring."

The government watchdog NICE is developing national guidelines on the management of multiple pregnancies, but these are not expected until 2011.

(BBC News, 16 July 2009)


Twins and speech and language development

Late onset of speech, and speech and language difficulties, including stuttering, are more common in twins than in singletons. This is because twins are frequently premature or low birth weight babies, and their parents may have less time to attend to them individually and to help them develop verbal skills.

"Twin language"
A fascinating part of many twins' development is the emergence of idioglossia, or "twin language". Recent research in Australia and overseas suggests that twin language is most often seen in twins with immature or disordered language, especially when the twins are performing at the same developmental level. An interesting Australian study found that twins were less adventurous in their use of words when playing with each other than they were when they played and chatted to adults. They used simple language and fewer words when they talked to each other. A British study showed that twin language is higher (around 50%) in twins with speech and language difficulties than for twins with normal language (11%).

Late talking twins
A child is considered to be a "late talker" if they have a spoken vocabulary of less than 50 words at 24 months. This does not mean that the 50 words have to be pronounced perfectly - two year olds are supposed to talk baby talk! If twins are late to talk it is important not to assume that they will automatically "catch up" in time. it is a wise precaution to take them for "baseline" assessment by a speech pathologist who will monitor their progress at intervals, provide helpful advice and guidance, and suggest therapy if necessary.

(From Twins: development and language, Caroline Bowen PhD, Speech and Language Pathologist, http://members.tripod.com/Caroline_Bowen/home.html)


Helping twins develop language skills

A few simple strategies can be employed to help twins' language development. Some of these are easier said than done in busy families, especially if you are sleep deprived!

Make a point of learning to recognise and seize opportunities as they occur to talk to one twin at a time. As well, actively create opportunities to talk to one twin at a time. For example: a couple of nights a week bath them separately; when the family goes for a walk, one parent take one twin around the block in one direction, and the other parent take the rest of the family around the block in the other direction and meet up.

When you give directions to your twins, give them to each twin individually (not to both at once). Make your directions or instructions simple and specific, using a minimum of words, but remaining grammatical. e.g., "John, put your socks in the basket..." then "Lucy, put your socks in the basket too". When a twin follows a direction (does what s/he is asked or told to do) praise him or her individually. e.g., "Thank you John. It's a good help when you put your socks in the basket for Daddy" then "Oh Lucy! That's great. You put your socks in the basket just like I said". When you are playing with both children, or doing an activity with them, try to have one twin finish their conversation with you. Let each twin have two or three or four conversational "turns" (you speak, child speaks, you speak, child speaks...).

Make sure they have said what they need to say, and had a chance to listen, without interruption, to what you are telling them. When one twin asks a question, answer that twin directly. Remember that when interacting verbally taking turns to listen is as important as taking turns to talk. Remember also to value silence. Pause frequently when you are conveying information. This gives a better chance for information to "sink in", and it also provides opportunities for the child to formulate their next "turn" in the conversation. Children need pauses and "space" to think up what they want to say.

(From Twins: development and language, Caroline Bowen PhD, Speech and Language Pathologist, http://members.tripod.com/Caroline_Bowen/home.html)


Parents' questions and answers

Q: What do you know about language development of twins? I am a grandmother of 17-month-old twins (boy and girl). She says, "dada," "baba" and "mama." He makes noises but no real names. Both children understand "no," "put that down," and "come here." Please help.

A: Research tells us that being a twin does seem to make a child more prone to language delays and disorders. Twins may be six to eight months behind the general population in their development of language skills and also have a higher risk of speech problems and stuttering. This may be because twins are often premature or have low birth weight. However, these factors may affect a child's speech and language development, twin or not.

Often parents simply cannot provide the one-on-one feedback that single children enjoy. Due to hectic days and less opportunities to spend with one child at a time, parents tend to use shorter and more direct phrases to communicate and have fewer "real" verbal exchanges with the child. Also, since there is more competition to get mom or dad's attention, children tend to speak more quickly in order to get all the information out at once. As a result, faster speech is sometimes not as clear and difficult to understand.

Sometimes the one most listening to the twin and providing feedback is the other twin. Of course, this usually provides an eager and attentive audience, but is not necessarily the feedback necessary for language development. Sometimes, the other twin is such a good audience, they may lose interest in communicating with their parents or other children.

In rare cases, even though they are well publicized, one-to-one communication can progress to where a shared language is created called Idioglossia or "twin language". Recent research suggests that twin language is most often seen in twins with immature or disordered language. Twins using "twin language" will create their own words and even a grammatical structure that is difficult for everyone to understand, but the twins.

The most important thing to do to help your young grandchildren develop language is to pay as much individual attention to each child as possible. Changing a diaper can be a special one-on-one time. Count finger and toes, sing songs, recite nursery rhymes and talk about what you are seeing and doing as it is happening. Perhaps while feeding the twins, you can talk to one while the other is eating. Then switch. If possible, alternate taking your granddaughter and grandson on errands with you. At the supermarket, name and describe items as your granddaugher sits in the cart listening to you talk. Take your grandson to the park and talk about what you are seeing and doing as it is happening. Look up high and see the birds. Look down low and find some rocks.

If your young grandchildren do not seem to be developing language, as they should, do not assume they will catch up. Go to a speech and language pathologist. Perhaps she or he will monitor their progress over time, or provide suggestions for enhancing skills at home and even possibly suggest therapy.

- Dorothy P. Dougherty

(http://parenthood.com)


Useful websites

www.multiplebirths.org.uk
The Multiple Births Foundation is an independent charity that aims to improve the care and support of multiple birth families through the education of all relevant professionals.

www.tamba.org.uk
The Twins and Multiple Births Association (Tamba) is a charity set up by parents of twins, triplets and higher multiples and interested professionals. It is the only UK wide organisation that directly helps tens of thousands of parents of twins and more and professionals to meet the unique challenges that multiple birth families face. Tamba operates a Freephone helpline, Twinline, a national, confidential, support, listening and information service for all parents of twins, triplets and more, and the professionals involved in their care.

www.twinsandmultiples.org
Provides information, new knowledge and downloadable materials with regard to the educational needs of multiple birth children.

http://twins.wjh.harvard.edu
The Twins Study @ Harvard is a long-term study of language development in twins, supervised by Jennifer Ganger, Ph.D., and Professor Steven Pinker, Ph.D. The goal of the project is to study identical and fraternal twins to determine the relative importance of nature and nurture in language development.

 

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