TWIN TALK

I'm beginning to worry because my twin girls have not yet started to talk straight yet. They're already 21 months old. Though they babble alot. They call me "mimmy" , their dad, "diddy" and their lolo, "yo-yo". Though there are words that they pronounce right like "dede" (if they want milk), "yaya", "apple", "dog", etc. I've been comparing them with their cousin. My neice was already talking straight when she was 1 year old. She was never "bulol". My ate told me that every kid is different. That's what their pedia told me also. So being a concerned mom, I did some research and I found out that there's nothing to worry about. I read that twins’ language is six months behind: they talk later, in shorter and simpler sentences.

Multiples often engage in “twin talk", a spoken language or a language of gestures and body language. Multiples are often so effective at communicating with each other that their speech and language development can be delayed.

These general guidelines can help you determine if your child could be experiencing a delay:

Between 12-24 months, your children should:
Combine two simple words
Have a working vocabulary of between 10 – 20 words
Be able to imitate some animal sounds
Wave good-bye
Be understood approximately 25% of time by non-family members

Between 24-36 months, your children should:
Ask simple “what” and “why” questions
Have a 450 word vocabulary
Be able to tell their name
Answer “where” questions
Match 3-4 colors
Identify body parts
Use 3-4 word combinations
Follow simple instructions
Be understood at least 50% of time by non-family members

Between 3-4 years your children should:
Use 4-5 word combinations, talking regularly in sentences
Have a vocabulary of about 1,000 words
Begin to name colors
Be able to tell a story
Be able to repeat a nursery rhyme
Be understood at least 75% of time by non-family members
Be able to follow 2-3 step instructions
Understand most of what is spoken to them

Between 4-5 years, your children should:
Use past tense correctly
Have a vocabulary of about 1,500 words
Be able to identify major colors
Understand concepts of opposites
Speak clearly
Use more than 5 words in a sentence
Re-tell a story in own words