Hi my name is Laurie. My husband is a twin and I am a twin. He has a twin sister and I had a twin sister who died 5 days after birth. Neither my husband nor I are monozygotic twins. We have dizygotic twin boys who are very different. One is more talkative and the other is very laid back.
A pediatrician recently said that there was a possibility that the laid back twin may be autistic. We are in a speech play group to help him with his words. It has been a wonderful experience and we feel that he doesn’t have autism but rather speech delay, as his brother has always been the one to ask for things and lead the way. Austin (the talker & and first born) will ask for a cookie and Colton (the laid back one) will automatically get one as well. Because he doesn’t have to ask for it, he doesn’t get to practice his verbal skills.
Colton is doing much better now we realize how to assist him with his verbal skills and he will continue to improve. My husband (David) and I have decided not to send Colton to be assessed. We feel that if there are problems, that a few months more of waiting and encouraging him will not hurt him. The Speech Pathologist feels that we are doing everything we need to be doing and in her professional opinion, if he is Autistic, it is a very mild case.
I would love to chat with other mothers in the same position. The boys turned two years old in April of 2002. I can’t stress enough how important a schedule is with newborn twins. Please e-mail me at ajpcdw@msn.com.
Laurie, Fort Frances, Ontario
Jumelle: Prenatal, Postnatal & Beyond 