A Unique Child: Practice in pictures - Twins

Isobel and Angus, aged 21 months, are twins. Their mother is in the kitchen and they are playing together in the front room at home. Their social play is quite advanced, probably as a result of their 'twinship', as they are so very familiar with each other.

They share a banana and Angus initiates a chasing game. He gently pushes Isobel to get her to run, and she joins in happily. When the children are tired of the game, they pretend to go to bed, getting under a blanket together.

Later, they play a ball game together. When it turns into a quarrel and Isobel bangs her head and becomes distressed, Angus does his best to soothe her.

1. The numbers of twins and multiple births in the UK have escalated over the past 20 years. There are a variety of possible reasons for this.

- More women are having children at a later age, when there is an increased chance of giving birth to twins or multiple groups, due to the greater likelihood of releasing more than one egg in each cycle.

- The survival rate of twins and multiples is much better than it used to be, as a result of improvements in health and the development of medical technology. In the past, not only was there a greater likelihood of twins or multiples not surviving, but there were frequent cases of one twin surviving and not knowing that they had been part of a multiple birth.

- Assisted reproduction techniques may also increase the chances of multiple birth.

It is important that we recognise the particular needs of twins and other multiple birth groups, and their families. Parenting two or more children of the same age brings particular challenges as well as joys, and parents may need extra support at difficult times.

2. Isobel and Angus are communicating well with each other, using a range of words and sounds. Angus uses many words appropriately, to himself and his sister. He sometimes puts two or three words together to make a sentence - for example, 'Here's the ball.' Isobel uses fewer words but sometimes strings sounds together as if in a sentence when she communicates with her brother.

There has long been a professional assumption that twins (and other multiple birth groups) may be more likely to show language delay. The 'Twins Study' at Harvard University is supervised by Jennifer Ganger PhD and Professor Steven Pinker, an experimental psychologist and author of several books on the subject of language and the mind. Their ongoing research suggests that other factors need to be taken into consideration and that being a twin does not in itself mean that language development will be delayed.

3. The Harvard study began by looking at all the previous research. There have been several studies suggesting that having had a low birthweight can be a factor in language delay.

Twins are often born at a lower individual weight than average, so this might be considered as a possible biological factor for language delay in multiple births. However, research by Mohay, Burns and Luke (1986) found that the impact of this was actually less for twins than it was for singletons.

The researchers used a range of aspects of development, including speech and hearing, to compare low birthweight twins with low birthweight singletons and found that by the age of four, the twins were scoring marginally better on several of the measures.

Jennifer Ganger of the Harvard study concludes that 'the implication is that there is some kind of interaction between low birth weight and "twinness", such that twins are not affected by it as harshly as singletons.'

4. Some researchers suggest that social factors have a bigger part to play in language development than biology.

Several studies have explored the social factors that might impact on the language development of twins. Some of these have looked at the amount of directed speech that twins receive from their parents and other people.

These studies have found that, individually, twins are likely to receive less directed speech than singletons. It is not that they are spoken to less than other children, but that the speech is directed to both of them, rather than to them as individuals. They also seem to miss out on opportunities for jointly engaging with a parent, because they are often part of a three-way conversation alongside the other twin.

5. The Harvard study is reassuring when it states that 'it is clear that it is not the mere fact of being a twin that fosters language delay, but rather a combined effect of perinatal and environmental factors, any of which could theoretically affect any child, twin or not.'

However, there are still some important indicators for practice that we should not ignore, and they apply to children in multiple birth groups as well as twins:

- Make a special effort to listen and talk with each child individually as often as possible.

- Try to address each child individually, rather than as a pair.

- Reinforce this with other colleagues and children by not referring to them as 'the twins'.

- Use their names and switch them around so that you don't always put one name first.

- Don't assume that if they are together, one child will want exactly the same as the other. If one asks for a drink, don't provide a drink for both of them. Wait and let the other one tell you if they also need a drink.

- Don't rely on one child to do the talking for the other. There may well be some natural variation in their language ability, but it is not fair to expect one to be the interpreter, or to not allow them both the chance to speak for themselves.

- Monitor their speech and language development just as closely as you would any other child, and seek advice when there are concerns.

6. The need to treat children as individuals throws up the difficult question of whether or not to separate twins (and other multiple birth groups) when they go to nursery or start school.

In small settings, this is probably not an option, although it should be possible for them to have different key people if the parents feel that this would be appropriate. However, some settings and schools have very rigid policies about the way classes and groups are organised, which don't allow for the needs of individual children and families to be taken into consideration.

Separation might be devastating for some children at certain stages, while for others it might be helpful. The best policy to support twins and other multiple groups has to be one that is flexible. It needs to involve the parents and others who know the children really well. Treating them as individuals, with minds of their own, different desires, interests, motivations and ability levels is what's important, whether they are together or apart.

REFERENCES AND FURTHER READING

- http://twins.wjh.harvard.edu

- http://www.twinsandmultiples.org/index.htm

- www.tamba.org.uk

- www.twinsand multiples.org

- 'Take two', Nursery World, 24 October 2007

Further information: The stills are taken from Siren Films' Communicating and Socialising' For more information, visit Siren Films at www.sirenfilms.co.uk or call 0191 232 7900

LINKS TO THE EYFS

- UC 1.1 Child Development

- PR 2.3 Supporting Learning

- PS 2.4 Key Person

- EE 3.4 The Wider Context.