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Related Experiment Videos

Speech and language development in preschool twins.

D A Hay¹, M Prior, S Collett

¹Department of Genetics and Human Variation, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Victoria, Australia.

Acta Geneticae Medicae Et Gemellologiae

|January 1, 1987

Summary

Twin boys show significant language and articulation delays by 30 months, with "secret" language emerging. Preschool intervention showed limited impact on improving twin

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Area of Science:

Developmental Psychology
Linguistics
Pediatrics

Background:

Language, articulation, and reading difficulties are documented in young twins.
The extent and early emergence of these problems in twins require further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the early development of language and articulation in twins.
To examine the impact of preschool exposure on social and language skills in twins.
To explore the relationship between sociability and articulation in twins.

Main Methods:

Longitudinal study tracking twins from 30 months of age.
Assessment of expressive language, verbal comprehension, and symbolic play.
Comparison of twins and singletons matched on cognitive ability before preschool.

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Teacher-completed sociability questionnaires before and after 8 months of preschool.

Main Results:

At 30 months, twin boys lagged 8 months in expressive language and 6 months in verbal comprehension compared to singletons.
Twin boys exhibited delays in symbolic play, closely linked to language development.
Twin boys developed "secret" language, associated with articulation delays.
Twins demonstrated poorer sociability than singletons, which correlated with articulation problems, persisting after preschool intervention.

Conclusions:

Twins, particularly boys, experience significant early language and articulation delays.
"Secret" language in twin boys is linked to articulation issues.
Preschool intervention shows limited effectiveness in improving twin's sociability and articulation deficits.
Intervention programs may be necessary to address these developmental challenges in twins.