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)
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)
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 possible
suggest therapy.
- Dorothy P. Dougherty
(http://parenthood.com)
www.tamba.org.uk
The Twins and Multiple Births Association (Tamba) is a nationwide
UK charity providing information and mutual support networks
for families of twins, triplets and more. 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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