Khaberni - A recent scientific study revealed that twin children may face a slight delay in some aspects of development during early childhood compared to individually born children, especially in the areas of cognition, language, social and emotional skills, before the gap begins to narrow later as they age.
The results, published in the journal "Child Development," indicate that this delay is evident before school age, but the twins manage to catch up with their peers and even excel in some aspects of language by the age of seven, reflecting a changing developmental pattern in childhood stages.
According to the study, which followed children between the ages of two and seven, non-twin children scored higher in tests of cognition and social skills at all age stages, in addition to fewer behavioral problems compared to twins.
Language Skills
The results also showed that the gap in some behavioral aspects, such as hyperactivity and interaction problems with others, may widen as children enter school age, although the differences were varied in size among children.
On the other hand, the data showed that despite being delayed in the early years, the language skills of twins gradually improve to reach a level comparable or higher than that of non-twin children by the age of seven.
Researchers believe that these differences are due to a variety of factors, including early competition between twins for parental attention and resources, as well as the nature of linguistic interaction within the family, which may be less diverse compared to families with one child at a time.
Educational Development
The study also indicates that twins often grow up in an environment of dual communication between them, which may limit their early interaction with others outside this framework, and they are sometimes viewed as a single unit rather than as independent individuals.
Although the recorded differences were described as minor to moderate in terms of statistical impact, the researchers emphasize that they are significantly meaningful at the level of educational and behavioral development.
The study concludes that providing early support for twin children can help reduce these gaps, especially in the early stages of development, thus enhancing their chances of achieving balanced educational and behavioral performance later, given the increasing rates of twin births globally in recent years.
