Twins Speak Little
Dear Ruth,I am a mother of twin boys, age two years and four months. I am very worried because my sons do not speak as other children their age do. My doctor told me there is nothing wrong with their hearing, and since they do say 'Mom' and 'Dad,' they will eventually speak. They repeat words I say, but without consonants such as r, l, s, and sh. Also, they never say the ending sound of a word--'bird' is 'boo.'
Should I be worried? Could you advise some books to educate myself? Living in Istanbul, speech specialists are hard to find, so your advice will be invaluable to me.J.G.
Dear J.G.,
Twins have been known to develop their skills of communicating with others more slowly. Presumably, since they have one another, they feel less need to interact with others. On the other hand, children at two typically use over 200 words, and can combine them into two or three word phrases. I would be concerned but not alarmed. I suggest a speech and language evaluation if at all possible, even if you have to travel to get one. A specialist in child language will be able to evaluate their skills and to observe clues to your sons' communication strategies in a face-to-face meeting.
Regardless of the source of their delay, it is time for your sons to practice expressing themselves. The speech/language pathologist is your best source for suggestions tailored to their needs, and I would make it a priority to get this information.
Along with the professional evaluation and specific recommendations, you can learn some sound, basic principles for enrichment in a guidebook for parents of preschool children, It Takes Two To Talk, by Jan Pepper and Elaine Weitzman. A source for this book is www.superduperinc.com.
Best Wishes,
Ruth Alice Jurey, M.S., C.C.C.
Speech/Language Pathologist
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