Language Development

We were told by "twins’ pediatrician that development of language in multiples including twins is usually delayed. Our pediatrician asked if our twins jabber to each other in their own language that no one else understand, and the answer is : yes, they did. It was obvious at age before 7 months , my twins communicated with each other using a unique spoken language or specific gestures and body language. They seemed to communicate effectively between themselves. With that being said, I have not observed any obvious sign of delay in language development in my twins.

It is really dependant on the personality. Girls tend to be more vocal and verbal than boys. David is shy and apprehensive, and he tends to be quite. In the other hand, his twin brother, Tom, is very verbal and bossy. Tom enjoys telling people what to do and has no fear to express his thoughts and comments. David’s language skill is not as well-developed as Tom, but it seems to be not too behind other 3 years old boys. He understands everything we say but he does have troubles to make certain sound. He skipped some difficult sounds and strangers are not able to understand what is said by him.

The thing is that twins or multiples may receive limiting amount of one-on-one attention and interaction from their parents. We try to speak to them separately in a daily base and we sit together to read and tell stories. The twins love show-and-tell at school and at home. They really use their imagination and creativity, and they express and explain what they are thinking. To me, this is wonderful and I am really pleased with their progress in learning. Hopefully, as parents, we can provide them an environment rich with sounds and sights, and consistent exposure to speech and language. The whole family works together, and we can ensure each of them receive unlimited attention and love.

The general guidelines provided by National Institute on Deafness and communication Disorders (NIDCD) to determine if your child is reaching milestones. The interactive checklist listed in the NIDCD websites are:

· Birth to 5 months: Reacts to loud sounds; turns head toward a sound source, watches your face when you speak, vocalizes pleasure and displeasure sounds, make noise when talked to.
· 6-11 months: understand “no-no”, babbles, tries to communicate by actions or gestures, tried to repeat your sounds.

· 12-17 months: Attends to book or toy for about two minutes, follows simple directions accompanied by gestures, answers simple questions nonverbally, points to objects, pictures and family members, says two to three words to label a person or object, tries to imitate simple words.

· 18-23 months: Enjoys being read to, follows simple commands without gestures, points to simple body parts such as “nose”, understands simple verbs, correctly pronounces most vowels and n,m, p, h. Says 8 to 10 words, asks for common foods by name, makes animal sounds, starting to combine words, begins to use pronouns such as mine.

· 2-3 years: Knows about 50 words at 24 months, knows some spatial concepts such as in, on. Knows pronouns such as you, me, her. Knows descriptive words, says around 40 words at 24 months. Speech is becoming more accurate but may still leave off ending sounds. Strangers may not be able to understand much of what is said. Answers simple questions. Begins to use more pronouns. Speaks in two to three word phrases, uses question inflection to ask for something. Begins to use plurals and regular past tense verbs.

· 3-4 years: Groups objects, uses most speech sounds but may distort some such as, l, r, s, sh, ch, y, v, z, th These sounds may not be fully mastered until age 7 or 8. Uses consonants in the beginning, middle and ends of the words. Strangers are able to understand much of what is said. Able to describe the use of objects, has fund with language, express idea and feeling. Uses verbs that end in “ing” . Answers simple questions, repeats sentences.

· 4-5 years: Understands spatial concepts, understand complex questions. Speech is understandable but makes mistakes pronouncing difficult words. Says about 200-300 words. Uses some irregular past tense verbs such as ran and fell. Describes how to do things. Defines words, lists item that belong in a category, answers “why” questions.

· 5 years: Understand more than 2,000 words, understands time sequences, carries out a series of three directions, understand rhyming, engages in conversation, sentences can be 8 or more words in length, describes objects, uses imagination to create stories.

The thing is that every kid develops differently and the general guidelines are good to be a reference but it is not always correct. Talk to the pediatricians if you have concerns. More tests and help would be available.