New Twin Education Website <i>www.twinsandmultiples.org</i>

Hay, David; Preedy, Pat

doi:10.1375/twin.4.4.285

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“…It has been fairly customary to separate twins to foster each child's 'individuality,' but this practice lacks a research basis. Current thinking supports managing each pair on a case-by-case basis (Segal, 2000a) and delegating decisionmaking responsibilities to their parents (Dean, 1999; also see Hay & Preedy, 2001). Separating twins in school and providing appropriate intervention has encouraged normal speech skills in twins with language disorders and delays (Douglas & Sutton, 1978;Luria & Yudovitch, 1959).…”

Section: Research Directionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

`Two' Quiet: Monozygotic Female Twins with Selective Mutism

Segal

2003

Clin Child Psychol Psychiatry

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Selective mutism (SM) is a rare social anxiety disorder characterized by failure to speak in some situations despite normal verbal behavior in others. Previous work suggests a familial component for a predisposition to this disorder. The present article reviews the literature on twins with SM and examines the onset and progress of SM in a monozygotic female pair, age 5 years, 7 months. Information was gathered from parent and teacher interviews, birth records, direct observation, standard child assessment protocols and school performance reports. The variable symptom expression and severity in this concordant twin pair underline contributions from both genetic and environmental sources. Some unusual behavioral features observed in these twins, such as their popularity and non-verbal communication with classmates, underline the complexity of factors affecting the expression of SM. Pooling available data from affected monozygotic and dizygotic twins would advance understanding of the nature, course and management of this condition. K E Y W O R D S selective mutism, twinsS E L E C T I V E M U T I S M (SM) is a rare social anxiety disorder characterized by lack of speech in some situations despite normal speech in others. It is associated with exquisite sensitivity to interactions with new people in new contexts. SM typically occurs when children first enter school or another novel setting. It affects approximately 0.1% of children in the general population and 1% of children in mental health facilities (Stein, 1999). SM occurs twice as frequently in girls as in boys, and is usually evident by age three. Formal diagnosis requires that the behavior persist for one month or more, that it not reflect unfamiliarity with the spoken language and that it not be linked to developmental delay (American Psychiatric Association, 2000). Children may, however, communicate non-verbally by nodding, pointing or pushing.The crucial distinction between SM and language disorders and delays is important to appreciate. Language disorders involve inconsistent rates of development among the different components of spoken and written speech. Specific psychological processes are

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Section: Research Directionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

`Two' Quiet: Monozygotic Female Twins with Selective Mutism

Segal

2003

Clin Child Psychol Psychiatry

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

New Twin Education Website www.twinsandmultiples.org

Cited by 1 publication

References 0 publications

`Two' Quiet: Monozygotic Female Twins with Selective Mutism

`Two' Quiet: Monozygotic Female Twins with Selective Mutism

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