|
What is twin language?.
A
Twin language or twin talk
is also known as cryptophasia idioglossia. It is thought to be a secret or special
language that only twins have. However many reasons have been given as to what
twin talk is.
Firstly it is very common for language development in twins
or multiples to be delayed in comparison to other children. There appears from
the research to be a number of reasons for this:
- Parents of twins and
multiples often do not have the time to reinforce language development.
- The prematurity of birth
often found in twins and multiples will delay both physical and cognitive
development.
Twin language thus develops
as a result of twins being together nearly all the time. At first all babies
start to babble as they practice their speech, but twins often appear to understand
as they mimic each other so it gives the impression of being a secret or special
language that only they understand.
Tips for parents:
- Communicate with your
babies all the time giving each child plenty of one to one attention
- Don’t let one
twin speak for the other let them speak for themselves
- Read to your twins
- Don’t encourage
twin talk, encourage them to express their requests correctly
- Do expose your twins
to lots of other children - join a playgroup or nursery
- See your health visitor
if you are concerned about your twins speech who can refer your twins for
speech therapy.
health visitor
back to faq's - Twins & Multiple Births |
