What Happens in Families When One Twin is

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This may happen more easily with twins if they are in the same class- room. Perhaps the dominant twin leads and the other twin never gets a chance to volunteer ...
Renzulli, J. S., & McGreevy, A. M. (1987). One's gifted—one's not? What happens in families when one twin is included in a gifted program and one twin in not included? Twins, 5, 30-34.

What happens in families when one twin is included in a Gifted program and one twin is not included?

by Joseph Renzulli and Ann McGreevy 30

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What happens in families when one twin isincluded in a gifted program and one twin is not? Recent research at the University of Connecticut explored this topic with 26 sets of twins who had experienced the event" of one twin having been selected for a gifted program (Twin A) and his co-twin (Twin B) not having been chosen. The twins, their parents and teachers completed questionnaires and, in some cases, were interviewed on the subject. Both identical and fraternal twins were studied. There were approximately three times as many fraternal twins as identical in the sample-a likely ratio considering there are approximately 2.5 more fraternal twins born each year. The twins who responded ranged from 7 to 48 years of age. There were several areas of interest to the researchers, including the circumstances under which one twin was selected for a gifted program and the other not, the twins' feelings regarding the "competition" issue, the

''We felt there was little discrepancy between our twins academically. We placed more faith in our own judgment, based on our years with the girls, than on screening test scores:' (Parents of identical twins) impact of one twin's selection for the program on both twins, the effect of labeling one twin as "gifted" on the way the twins interact with each other, and the way teachers or parents treat the "gifted" twin. The full range of data collected in

 

''We're both intelligent and take pride in our grades, but like to compete in sports. We're on the same teams, but play different positions...competition helps a lot because we try our hardest and our ((

 

best at anything we do:' (Identical twins)

this study wascomplex, lengthy and rich in detail. Because of space limitations only, selected aspects of the data will be discussed here.  

Selection Process Nearly all twins in the study were in separate classes and homerooms at the time that one twin was selected for a gifted program.In half of the cases, Twin B was never involved in the selection process. According to parents, most school officialsshowed little,if any, concern that it was a twin who was being considered for a gifted program. It is interesting to note, however, that the majority of parents did not contact school officials about the school's decision to include one twin and not the other-even though parents questioned the wisdom of the decision.  

Competition Between Twins Competition is a factor between most siblings and certainly exists between twins. For this study, twins distinguished between competition in school, in sports and in friendships. The greatest degree of competition existed within the school environment. Twins noted that they were often placed on the same sports teams (for the sanity of parents) and

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''My identical twin sister, Becky, and I decided to try switching classes for the whole day. I discovered that all Becky did was sit and read with a book on her lap, after her work was done. The teacher sat at a desk and never seemed to mind that she wasn't paying attention. I remember think· ing, my God, this is the way Becky spends her day:' were accustomed to competitive situations there. They also described a kind of "good competition'' that is a challenge and makes each of them try harder and attempt to perform at their best levels.

twins?; 67 percent of the twin samcould cause problems between  

ple answered, "Yes". Most of the Twin B's noted that they would have liked to be in the gifted program, if they had been given the choice; however, all cases of identical Twin B's responded that they would have liked to have been selected for the program or as one boy put it, "At least I would have liked to have had the chance to turn it down ..." Parents' responses agreed with those twins. Most parents did not observe any significant changes in the twins' relationship (for example, signs of jealousy, unusual bickering) during the period in which one twin was involved in the gifted program. Most parents did not notice a loss of

agreed that this inclusion asa "guest participant" was an excellent example of a sensitive treatment of twins.  

Treatment of Twin A Responses indicated that many Twin &did share the gifted program experience at home with their parents, as well as with their co-twins and other siblings. We asked if any Twin Ns noticed any changes in the way teachers, parents, friends or their co-twins treated them, as a result of their being included in the gifted program. Twin Ns perceived that the greatest "difference in treatment"was from teachers and friends. Very little change in treatment was noted from parents or the co-twins. Generally, Twin Ns felt that their parents treated them the same. Several respondents noted that their parents often "down-played" having a child in the gifted program;Twin Ns perceived this as perhaps being"purposeful" so that their co-twins would not feel "dumb'' or ''bad" about not being selected for the program.

self-esteem or anxiety in Twin B. The cases that did report a loss of self-esteem or anxiety in Twin B, however, were parents of identical twins and the identical twins themselves. In a few cases, Twin B was   Study Outcome invited to participate in the gifted program on an occasional basis (for Several issues surfaced in this example, field trips, lectures). Parents study. First, the "event" of one twin

Impact on Twins In the study, twins were asked if   being selected(or not beingselected)   for a gifted program caused problems   between them. Eighty-two percent   answered, ''NO:' When asked, "Do you think being one twin selected for a gifted program  

 

''B

ecky was having a tough time 'being me:In my class, I was used to talking, participating, and answering questions in dis· cussion. My teacher walked up and down the aisles and around the room and cared if you were paying anention. We never forgot that day and shared the experience afterward and thought how interesting it was that our days were being spent in such different ways:'

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being included in a gifted program result of genetic or environmental occurred more with fraternal than factors remains a subject of debate. French twins-researcher, Rene identical twins-but it did continue Zazzo, suggested the "couple effect;" to occur with identical twins. There is a significant difference in that is, personality formation in identwin-types. Identicru twins, for exam- tical twins depends not only on ple, compete nearly always on equal hereditary and environmental facground with nearly 100 percent tors, but also on a system of relations genetic make-up in common. On the other hand, fraternal twins are as alike as any brother and sister, sharing an average of 50 percent of their genes. Thus, fraternal twins may be quite similar or different in academic ability and performance. Results of thestudy indicated that the degree to which twins are similar in potential ability and academic motivation is the degree to which one twin's selection into a gifted program may affect the twins; and this is true whether they are fraternal or identical twins. Based on their responses, twins in the study appeared to be complimentary in personality and often in the degree of motivation for schoolwork. For example, if one twin was disorganized, the other was highly organized; if one made decisions well, the other one lingered. Twin appeared to be the more conforming and "approval-orientated" children; whereas, Twin B's appeared to be the more creative. These Twin B's were the visual, spatial, mechanical learners who pursued areas of interest for their own satisfaction, rather than for the satisfaction of teachers, parents and others. Twin B's often stressed that schools did not appreciate their talents and abilities(like taking a bike apart and putting it together again), or allow opportunities for their learning

that is established between the self and others in the outer world. A couple, he explained, implies diversityan alteration or opposition in function and role. Thus, it is the logic of the couple to create interdependent and different roles. Research has shown that identical twins raised

Characteristics to Look lor in a Gifted Child by Sue Brent Portland, Oregon

Gifted or talented children are often overlooked in a classroom situation. Sometimes they are labeled "hyperactive"or "behavior problems," particularly if the behavior is initially triggered by boredom. Because they are shy about raising their hands and volunteering information, some talented or gifted children are overlooked if their standardized test scores are not high. This may happen more easily with twins if they are in the same classroom. Perhaps the dominant twin leads and the other twin never gets a chance to volunteer information. This can ultimately lead to underachievement if a teacher is not aware of the situation. Teachers assess children's intelligence according to a variety of nonobjective standards. One study, for example, showed that teachers had a biased rating of children's intelligence levels (not necessarily twins) based on whether they plunged into a new situation or held back. The plungers were rated by teachers as higher in intelligence, while LQ.tests showed they were actually only average.

following characteristics that distinguish them from their peers. They: • often learn to talk and understand language at a very early age; • often learn to read before they enter school; • usually learn basic skills more quickly and with less practice than the average child; • generally have longer attention spans; • usually have a well-developed ability to think abstractly and to develop concepts; • generally are more curious about the world than their peers and want to know how things work; • have both very wide and intensely focused interests; • areflexible thinkers, able to find several solutions or approaches to solving problems. If your child exhibits some of the above characteristics, he may be talented and gifted.Ifhe hasn't been identified as such by school personnel, you may begin the process of identification by talking to his teacher, principal or school district's gifted education specialist. Keeping anecdotal records for very young chil-

styles to surface. Twins expreK ssneodwing thisinformation,parents

dren who you suspect to be talented

an intenseness about schoolworksometimes even a nervousness or anxiety. On the other hand, Twin B's appeared to be more content with themselves-more self-confident in an "inner way:' Descriptions from twins were supported by parent and teacher anecdotes. Perhaps it is the differences in personality structure that eases the stress of competition in twinsparticularly in cases of identical twins; however, whether each identical twin's personality structure is a

or gifted until they reach school age can be helpful. School districts can provide further psychological or I.Q. testing, if warranted. When the results are available, review them with one of the above mentioned professionals to determine your child's areas of strengths and weaknesses. If the school district is unwilling to test your child because his achievement scores are low, you might consider private testing.

should be sure their children's teachers are informed about their child's intellectual talents. The resulting mismatch between a child's abilities and the curriculum he must master may result in boredom and/or an increase in negative behavior. , What characteristics should you look for to determine if your twins are academically talented? According to a recent Oregon Association for Talented and Gifted publication, gifted and talented children have the

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apart are often more alike in personality structure than identical twins raised together, thus supporting the idea of the "couple effect:' The results indicated that most of the gifted programs studied relied on teacher referral as a major criteria for gaining entrance into the program; achievement test scores ranked second.In only one case was student "performance" (i.e., projects, work efforts) used to select students from a wider talent pool. As noted, most parents did not contact the school regarding their decision to include one twin in the program. In some cases, this was because parents sincerely felt that Twin B was not as capable or motivated as Twin A in academic work; in other cases, parents did not feel strongly about their role as advocates for their children. As noted previously, Twin N.s did respond "Yes" to noticeable differences in treatment by teachers and peers, but noted little change in treatment from their parents and their cotwins. Interestingly though, "differences in treatment" by teachers can range from very negative reactions to very positive reactions. How classroom teachers react to students selected for gifted programs may indeed affect the students' motivation and quality of participation. Finally, among the implicationsof this study is the assumption that identical twins are a fertile source of data regarding the educational environment. Their responses demonstrated the influence of the classroom environment and specifically, teaching style, in determining the quality of a student's day. cw

For informationon lww to obtain the 120page report, send your name and address to: Drs. Renzulli/McGreuy, Twin Study Report, Sclwol of EducatWn U-7, Storrs HalUniversil;y of Connecticut,Storrs, CT 06268.

  AnnMcGreevy,Pb.D.is anassistantprofessor and d irector of the graduate program in gifted education at Notre Dame College, Manchester, New Hampshire. Joseph Renzulli, Ed.D.is a professor o f educational psychology and director of the Teaching the Talented program at the Universit;y of Connecticut at Storrs.

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Criteria for Gifted Programs by Alice Wickersham Terry Royston, Georgia

Each state that identifies gifted students offers a program for the gifted and develops its own criteria for selection. Tests that measure intelligence include the Otis-Lennon Mental Ability Test, the Cognitive Abilities Test, the Slosson Intelligence Test, The Raven, the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test, the WISCR (Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised), or the StanfordBiDet.Insomestates, creative testing is used in the identification process using the 'lbrrance Test of Creativity. Because of the wide range of tests administered, it is difficult to specifically outline what I.Q. level isconsidered the cut-off for giftedness. Unfortunately, in many states, a standardized intelligence test, more commonly referred to as an I.Q. test, is the sole criterion for determining giftedness in students. Although other information about the child may be examined (such as achievement, leadership ability, and creativity) these special attributes are not taken into consideration for gifted placement for a child, no matter how outstanding, ifthe "magic" number is not achieved on an I.Q. test. The type of test administered is an important consideration for possible placement in a gifted program. A group test is more of a screening device than an actual measure of a child's intelligence. An individualized I.Q. test, such as the ones

sister might be smarter than she is that her fear interferes with her performance? I have seen such a variation in scores ·of the same student over several testing periods that I am left with many questions. One child in particular stands out in my mind.In the second grade, I tested while her parents were experiencing a divorce. Her I.Q. came out to be 103, a very average score. Three years later, I tested this same child using the same instrument, and her I.Q. was measured as 142, a very high score (99+ percent). Did she get smarter? No, I don't believe that she did because she always performed beautifully in the classroom. Thisscenario shows that testing for a gifted program is a necessary thing, but it is not infallible. The only thing we can be assured of is that on that day, the child performed that way on that instrument. This is the reason that I never tell a child his I.Q.score. As a parent, you can exercise options to ascertain whether your twins are receiving every oppmtunity for consideration in a gifted program in a public school system. You can talk to your children's teachers and ask that they be tested, or you yourself should be able to refer your children for testing. If your children score above a 115 I.Q. on a group I.Q. test, you might possibly consider referring them for

mentioned above, is a more accurate measure of an individual's

psychological testing-either a WISC-R or a Stanford-Binet. If you

intelligence. Regardlessof the type of test given, other significant factors determine the outcome ofthe test. For example: Did the child eat a good breakfast? Did she have a stomachache? Did she have an argument with her parents or friends before the test? Does she want to be in the gifted program so much that her anxiety overwhelms her? Is she so afraid that her twin

have highly verbal children, I would recommend a Stanford-Binet.If your school refuses to test the child, you might consider taking your child to a private psychologist for testing. Any doctor or pediatrician should be able to recommend a psychologist.If there is a college nearby, consider contacting the educational psychology department.They may provide testing at a minimal charge. cw