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Expert Q&A
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| By Mindy Hudon Speech and Language Pathologist | ||
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My 2-year-old twin boys, who were born premature, are repeating tons of words and they say them clearly. However, they are not putting two words together. Should I have them evaluated?
If your twins are able to communicate their needs without frustration, then they're good communicators. However, if they're not easily understood and tantrum because you don't know what they want, then you may want to consider an evaluation. By your description of your twins, it sounds like they will probably start expanding their words into sentences soon enough. So watch out! I know how it is to have twins talking in stereo.
Help your twins to expand their words into little sentences through modeling. The best way to expand language is in play or during everyday activities. When they are playing and say "truck," start by modeling small sentences like, "big truck," "red truck" or "truck go." If youŲe out for an ice cream treat, say, "cold ice cream."
Reading books like Eric Carle's Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? (Henry Holt and Co., 1996), are great for repetition and imitation. As your twins get to know this book, stop and let them finish the sentence. Use an animated voice to engage them and you will have fun seeing how they start to imitate you! This is an exciting time for you and your twins. Have fun!"
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