Q: We have twins, both girls. They are 2 years and 9 months old now. They haven’t started speaking till now. They are very active and make a lot of noise. They also do a lot of humming and dancing on songs but are not able to speak any words till now. They also do not pay attention to whatever we are saying. We thought they have a hearing issue too but whenever we have their favourite cartoon movie on they come running from the other room to see it. They were born prematurely and are thin too. One is 12 kg and the other is 13 kg and they fall sick often. The doctor says that they have a low resistance power. Please advise as to what needs to be done for their speech problem?

A:I think they will start talking when they go to a play centre or Nursery school or crèche, where they will meet other children. I have heard that twins often speak later than others, because they have each other for company and they can communicate quite effectively between themselves, without speech. Encourage them to sing and they will start pronouncing the words of the songs. Build up their health with proper food and give them a lot of cuddling and holding close. In six months, they will speak like other children.