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HANDLING SCHOOL ISSUES WITH MULTIPLE BIRTH CHILDREN A PRESENTATION BY MULTIPLES OF AMERICA INCLUDING MULTIPLES OF AMERICA’S POSITION PAPER “GUIDELINES FOR THE EDUCATION OF MULTIPLE BIRTH CHILDREN”

DR. SEUSS“YOU’RE OFF TO GREAT PLACES. TODAY IS YOUR FIRST DAY!”

SCHOOL READINESS SKILLS FOR ENTERING KINDERGARTEN • Recognize and print first name • Identify some letters of the alphabet • Know basic colors • Count to 10 • Recognize and produce rhyming words • Join in group activities, such as sitting at story time, lining up to go to recess, taking turns, working independently and with a group, etc.

SCHOOL READINESS FACTORS THAT CAN IMPACT READINESS • Premature birth • Sex of the multiples • Parent’s home language • Home learning patterns, such as daily reading time, self-care opportunities, behavior expectations, etc.

DR. SEUSS“THE MORE THAT YOU READ. THE MORE THINGS YOU WILL KNOW.”

READING READINESS HELPING YOUR MULTIPLES GET READY TO READ • Read to them every day • Ask them questions about the stories • Point out print in the world (signs, food containers, emails) • Practice rhyming (nursery rhymes, songs, poems) • Clap out parts of words (dog-house, sun-shine, in-side) • Say or sing the alphabet • Show them their names often (on tags, written on paper)

DR. SEUSS“THINK LEFT AND THINK RIGHT AND THINK HIGH AND THINK LOW.”

SCHOOL PROBLEMS FACTORS THAT CAN DISRUPT LEARNING • Anxiety about leaving parents or their co-multiple/s • Homework • Learning difficulties • Bullying • Differences in abilities or learning styles between multiples

SCHOOL SOLUTIONS HELP YOUR MULTIPLES SUCCEED • Listen to and acknowledge their concerns • Share stories of your school journey • Help them get organized for homework or the next school day • Encourage joint homework time (Multiples who are in separate classrooms can sit together to do homework and chat about their day) • Fire up a love of reading through daily reading sessions • Visit your local library, if possible

SCHOOL OPPORTUNITIES TIPS FOR PARENT/TEACHER COMMUNICATION • Talk with your multiples’ teacher/s • Share praise with your multiples’ teacher/s whenever possible • Share resources on education of multiple birth children • Join in school activities or attend parent-teacher conferences • Learn when to step in and when to stay out

DR. SEUSS“THINK AND WONDER. WONDER AND THINK.”

TERMS TO KNOW A MULTIPLE GLOSSARY • Multiple birth child - one of a set of two (twins) or more (higher order) children conceived or born at the same time • Co-twin or co-multiple - one child of a multiple set • Monozygotic - identical twins • Dizygotic - fraternal twins • Higher Order Multiples - groups of three or more; can be combinations of identical and fraternal • Singleton - child who is not a twin or higher order multiple

JUST THE STATS DATA FROM THE UNITED STATES CDC • There were 114,161 twin deliveries in 2021, showing a slight increase from the previous year • One in 31 births is a twin multiple birth (31.2 per 1,000) • Fraternal twins account for the differences in the twin birth rate; the rate of identical twins remains fairly constant at approximately 4 per 1,000 • The higher order multiple birth rate is 80 per 100,000

DR. SEUSS“SOMETIMES THE QUESTIONS ARE COMPLICATED AND THE ANSWERS ARE SIMPLE.”

OF MULTIPLE BIRTH CHILDREN IN SCHOOLGUIDELINES FOR THE EDUCATIONEducating multiple birth children isn’t just a matter of “doubling up” the learning. Educating twins, triplets, or more means exploring multiple avenues of placement, instruction, and support.

OF MULTIPLE BIRTH CHILDREN IN SCHOOLGUIDELINES FOR THE EDUCATIONThese general guidelines provide information for parents, teachers, and school support staff to become better acquainted with the special social and psychological considerations impacting multiple birth children and their families.

OF MULTIPLE BIRTH CHILDREN IN SCHOOLGUIDELINES FOR THE EDUCATIONThey come to school as part of a unique group. They come in twos, threes, fours, and sometimes even sixes or sevens. Who are these children? How can educators best support them and their learning?

PROVIDE AN ATMOSPHERE WHICH RESPECTS THE CLOSE NATURE OF THE MULTIPLE BOND.GUIDELINE #1• Have a basic knowledge of psychology of multiple birth children. • Have an awareness of the deep bond among identical siblings and some same-sex fraternals. • Learn to recognize each child’s academic strengths and weaknesses. • Avoid overt comparisons between siblings in a multiple set.

MAINTAIN A FLEXIBLE PLACEMENT POLICY.GUIDELINE #2• Partner with parents on placement decisions. • Consult the involved children as age allows. • Do not make placement decisions based on: - the premise of promoting individuality - the convenience of the teacher in name/face recognition

MAINTAIN A FLEXIBLE PLACEMENT POLICY.GUIDELINE #2• Segal and Russell offer this criteria: - the twins’ social relationship and any individual circumstances - social skills with other students - intellectual abilities - special needs of the twin pair - zygosity • Review decisions annually

MAINTAIN A CONSISTENT APPROACH TO INSTRUCTIONGUIDELINE #3• Teachers need to coordinate efforts when a set of multiples is split between their classrooms. • Multiples can become a catalyst for improving team-teaching techniques.

GUIDELINE #4• Give psychological and social aspects of the multiple bond equal consideration with academics. • Counseling services may be needed for all affected multiples. • Be sensitive to the feelings and actions of all the co-multiples and stay alert to possible problems.USE CAUTION WHEN PROMOTING OR RETAINING ONE OF THE MULTIPLES.

GUIDELINE #4• Understand that changes may affect the multiple birth child much more and alter the sibling relationship in a profound way.USE CAUTION WHEN PROMOTING OR RETAINING ONE OF THE MULTIPLES.

VALUE PARENTAL INPUT.GUIDELINE #5• Rely on parents to provide information on their children’s relationship. • Work as partners with parents when making decisions regarding classroom placement.

PROVIDE TEACHERS WITH MULTIPLE-RELATED MATERIALS.GUIDELINE #6• Encourage staff to seek the latest research findings and employ this information. • Provide access to reading materials in the faculty library. • Schedule professional development sessions on the topic of the instruction of multiples. • Utilize parents of older multiples as resources.

OFFER OPPORTUNITIES FOR STUDENTS IN COLLEGE TO LEARN ABOUT EDUCATION OF MULTIPLES.GUIDELINE #7• At the university level, schools of education should include research findings into the psychology of twins and higher order multiples in their curricula.

DR. SEUSS“IT’S NOT ABOUT WHAT IT IS; IT’S ABOUT WHAT IT CAN BECOME.”

MULTIPLES OF AMERICA A NATIONWIDE SUPPORT ORGANIZATION • Approximately 150 clubs across the nation • Clubs range in size from 4 - 250 • Represent around 5,600 families of multiples • Affiliate memberships for educators, researchers, and more • Focused on a mission of support, education, and research • A 501 (c) 3 organization funded by member dues, donations, sponsorships, and grants More information info@multiplesofamerica.org www.multiplesofamerica.org