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Research on twins and delays in language development dates back to 1930. Researchers Day and Davis wrote 2 papers on their studies between twins and singletons. They took 80 pairs of twins and 140 singletons, between the ages of 1.5 and 5.5, any 50 random utterances were recorded. Twins were found to be as far as 2 years behind non-twins on many on aspects of language development. Davis performed this same study for the age group 5-9 year olds, and found that on average, twins caught up to the singletons.
Many have pointed out various flaws in this study, such as: not excluding twins who have language, speech, and hearing pathology, no acknowledgment of results for twins who had low birth-weight, acknowledgment of birth-order, twins were not always observed separately from each other, and that twins were averaged together, not scored separately.
More exploration of twins and language was done in the 1970's and 1980's. Lytton and Conway, Lytton, and Pysh did an experiment similar to Day and Davis's, but separated groups of twins in categories including by birth-weight and time of gestation. These two studies found that environmental variables, such as speech directed at mother, had more influence than biological variables, such as birth-weight.
Other studies were done that looked at more details other than just twinness. the factor most frequently studied was low birth-weight; in general, low birth-weight tends to lead to delays in language development more than only the fact of being a twin.
There have been other researches that only studied non-biological factors. J. Steven Reznic, a psychology professor at Yale, concluded that twin language development is similar to a general sibling situation. Being a twin is the most extreme case of being a sibling, and the more siblings one has, their IQ scores tend to be lower. Twins tend to learn how to use the pronoun "I" more quickly than non-twins, but also misuse plurals and other pronouns. This lead Reznick to believe that being a twin alters the linguistic environment, but does not make it abnormal.
-Do you think this research gives enough evidence to make the claim that twins suffer in language development? Almost all studies found that twins catch up to singletons by early elementary school. If you were teaching young twins (ages 3-9), would you do something to accommodate for them?
11 comments:
I think that the study shows that it is possible, but not necessarily true. More evidence needs to be shown without confounding variables. If I had twins in my class that seemed to be behind in language development, I would treat them and help them the same way I would anyone who was having difficulties. I would offer them extra help, be supportive, and design lessons that emphasize the areas where they were struggling. If they are having bad enough difficulties, I would probably suggest they receive extra help from a language-speech pathologist, if one was available to them.
Due to the inconsistency of the research methods, I don't think that these studies provide enough information to be conclusive. I also noticed that the fact that low birth weight tends to have more of an effect on delays in language development than being a twin does. This leads me to believe that this is what is causing some delays, rather than simply being a twin.
However, like Alexandra, if any of my students are having problems with language development, I will offer the most effective help that I can. This includes conferencing with parents and referring them to a specialist, if needed.
I do not think that this study can accurately say that twins suffer in language development. The experiment doesn't really make sense to me, and I feel like it's lacking important evidence. I would teach twins just like I would teach singletons, because they are still their own person. If they needed help I would work with them like I would any other student.
I think that the studies are very inconclusive. There are several errors not taken into account by the researchers, even in the later trials. There are a lot of variables that need to be looked at before any valid proof is found. Another thing to note is the question of how they measure development and how it is tested? If I was a teacher, I would account for individual help for twins; I believe in individual help for all students. Being a twin is simply one of the many things that must be taken into account along with many other problems, syndromes, and disabilities.
I do not think the study had enough evidence to prove that twins really suffer in language development. The study would need to be done with more twins and less singletons. Also back then, the twins might not have been checked for any types of learning disabilities that could have hindered their language. If I was teaching younger twins, I would teach them the same as the other students. If they were having problems with their language development, I would try to work with them the best I can with extra practice. If that doesn't work, I would recommended them a speech pathologist.
I have heard that young twins tend to have a language of their own for the first few years of life. I think this is why researchers found that their language wasn't as up to speed as those who were singletons. If I were teaching them, I would teach twins the same way. Obviously, I would help them if they were struggling, but by making them learn how to interact with their other peers, they will start to speak to someone other than their twin.
I doesn't really seem like its that big of a problem if the twin catch up to singletons at the early elementary level. There are so many variables not taken in to account that it doesn't seem like the data is that earth shattering anyway. It seemed like children with siblings were having some of the same problems as well, so the problems may be originating from some family dynamic that can't be seen. If I had these children in my class, the only thing that I could think of doing that may help would be to make a conscious effort to separate the twins in class group projects so that they could feel more individualistic, and if only one of them was in the class, try to do things that would make them feel good about doing something alone.
Low birth-weight can show that a baby is not yet fully developed; therefore, it makes sense that the child would be behind in the development of language since they are behind biologically, as well. Also, many sets of twins develop their own languages or other forms of communication since they spend so much time together. This cuts down on the need a child has to learn the language that others around him are speaking. It would follow that once the twins move outside of their micro environment and begin communicating with other children, they would begin to close the gap.
I do not think this study is valid. Though it maybe true in some cases just as it is true in some cases of babies that do not have a twin.I believe that there should be a better study done with more conclusive results before anybody jumps to conclusions.
I believe that slow development isn't just limited to twins. I liked how the researchers included low-birth weight. It is probably a good enough guess to say that most twins will have a lower birth weight than single children since they have to share the womb. If I was teaching a class that had twins I would be sure to evaluate their development and see exactly where they are at and what they are having trouble with. After evaluating I would be sure to give extra help where the twins would need it.
I think the study needs to be conducted more times than has been done to be more valid. Help outlets exist for twins including therapists, pathologists, and other means. Twins fascinate me in the way that they can communicate with each other. However, they sometimes have a language no one else can understand.
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