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Prevalence and developmental course of 'secret language'.

K Thorpe1, R Greenwood, A Eivers

  • 1Institute of Child Health, Bristol, and Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Research Centre, London, UK. karen.thorpe@uwe.ac.uk

International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders
|February 28, 2001
PubMed
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Secret language, or cryptophasia, is common in young twins but usually a temporary developmental phase. Persistent use, especially in boys, may indicate underlying cognitive and language difficulties.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Psychology
  • Linguistics
  • Twin Studies

Background:

  • Children sometimes develop unique communication forms, termed 'secret language' or cryptophasia.
  • The developmental trajectory and implications of cryptophasia, particularly in twins, require further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine the prevalence and developmental course of 'secret language' in twins and singleton pairs.
  • To identify factors associated with persistent use of private language in young children.

Main Methods:

  • Systematic assessments of child pairs at 20 and 36 months of age.
  • Categorization of 'secret language' into shared understanding and private language.
  • Cognitive, language, and environmental assessments were conducted.

Related Experiment Videos

Main Results:

  • 'Secret language' was more prevalent in twins than singletons and typically emerged in the second year of life.
  • A subset of primarily male twins exhibited persistent private language at 36 months, associated with poorer cognitive/language skills and dependent relationships.
  • Follow-up at age 6 indicated poor language outcomes for children who continued using private language without developing normal language skills.

Conclusions:

  • Cryptophasia is often a transient developmental phase, particularly in twins.
  • Persistent private language use in early childhood may be an indicator of developmental challenges.
  • Early identification and intervention may be crucial for children exhibiting persistent cryptophasia.