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Behavioral problems among twins
Insights
Managing behavior problems in multiple-birth siblings requires understanding individual sibling needs and parental capacity for intervention. This study offers a framework for identifying and addressing common issues like aggression and feeding problems in twins.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Psychology
- Developmental Psychology
- Family Studies
Background:
- Multiple births are common, yet specific guidance for managing behavioral issues in twins and higher-order multiples is limited.
- Parents and healthcare professionals require better tools for identifying and intervening in sibling behavior problems unique to multiple births.
Abstract:
Despite the frequency of multiple births, little information is available to assist parents and health professionals in the identification and management of behavior problems in multiple-birth siblings. Three case reports are presented that describe quarreling, aggression, and feeding problems among twins. To develop intervention strategies most appropriate for the problem behavior, it is important to determine whether (1) parents are able to effectively implement the intervention strategy, (2) behavior is isolated to one sibling, and (3) different reasons are responsible for similar behavior in siblings. Structured observations were used to determine whether the undesired behavior occurred to escape nonpreferred activities, gain access to preferred activities, or obtain parental attention. The cases provide a framework to facilitate the identification and management of common behavior problems occurring among multiple-birth siblings.