Site Last Updated: February, 2006 

NOMOTC's 

Guidelines For The 

Education Of 

Multiple Birth 

Children 

SEE BELOW 

NOMOTC's Guidelines For The Education Of Multiple Birth Children 

The general guidelines which follow are intended for use at all levels of education and provide a broad framework 

within which educators may begin to dialogue on this topic. 

Basic Principles. 

Due to the ever-increasing number of multiple births in the U.S., and due to the special social and psychological 

considerations involving multiple birth children, educators and educational training institutions should consider the 

following: 

1. School should provide an atmosphere which respects the close nature of the multiple bond while at the same 

time encouraging individual abilities. A basic knowledge of the psychology of multiple birth children, especially as 

it differs between identicals and fraternals, is essential. An awareness of the depth of bonding between identical 

siblings and some same-sex  fraternals will promote greater sensitivity to the needs of these children. An 

understanding that each multiple birth child is unique (even when the child is part of an identical set) will prompt 

the school staff to recognize and encourage each child's abilities. Educators should learn to recognize each child 

in a set of multiples individually without resorting to extraordinary means such as requiring identical twins to wear 

name tags, different color clothes or different hair styles. The children should be called correctly by their own 

names and not simply referred to as "the twins." The  classroom teachers should be able to recognize each child's 

particular academic strengths and weaknesses. No overt comparisons should be made between siblings in a 

multiple set. 

2. Schools should maintain a flexible placement policy throughout the early elementary school years. Consultation 

with parents and the involved children will provide clearer insights into how the children's needs can best be 

served. Placement decisions should not be made for the purpose of promoting the children's individuality or for 

the teachers' convenience and ease of name/face recognition. Successful placement involves a collaborative 

decision which allows for ease of separation from the parent and the other multiple as well as for successful social 

and academic growth. These decisions should be reviewed annually to see if they are accomplishing the desired 

purpose. 

3. When multiple birth children are enrolled in different classrooms at the same grade level there is a need for a 

consistent approach to instruction and classroom management. Teachers at the same grade level need to 

coordinate their efforts when a set of multiples is split between their classrooms. Primary-age multiples often 

experience disappointment, confusion, anger and other negative emotions about their school experiences.  These 

are often the result of teacher-directed activities in one classroom which may be lacking in another. Jealousy and 

anger may be directed toward the sibling who is perceived to have the "better classroom." Multiples who are 

separated in same grade classrooms can become a catalyst for improving team-teaching techniques and inspiring 

a more evenly balanced program of instruction. While this problem may lessen by the middle school years, 

teachers and administrators still need to recognize the very real problems which placement in separate 

classrooms can cause for multiple birth students. 

4. Educators should move with extreme caution when considering retention, acceleration, or designation in any 

one of the areas of exceptionally of one or more children in a set of multiples. Psychological and social 

considerations involving the nature of the multiple bond must receive equal weight with academic considerations. 

The effects of school retention, acceleration, or designation in any area of exceptionally are much greater on a 

multiple birth child since they may alter the sibling relationship in a profound manner. These effects can range 

from mild loss of self-esteem and confusion over the status of the siblings in the multiple-birth grouping to a 

deeper sense of loss of identity with the co-multiple(s) and feelings of anger and rejection. On the other hand, 

there is a definite need to separate the multiple birth issue from the issue of what is best for the individual child. 

As a result, the question of retention, acceleration, or designation in an area of exceptionally of a multiple birth 

child is highly complicated and needs to be approached with full consideration of all the possible benefits and 

harm which may result from the decision. Teachers needs to be sensitive to the feelings and actions of all 

co-multiples and alert to possible problems for all of the children. If retention or acceleration is unavoidable, 

counseling services should be made available to all of the affected multiples. 

5. Teachers at the primary, middle and high school levels should value parental input regarding the nature of the 

multiples' relationship.  Classroom observations, particularly if the multiples are in separate classrooms, will not 

provide educators with enough knowledge to make informed decisions which may affect the children's social or 

psychological well-being. Usually, parents can provide information into the dynamics at work within the children's 

relationship at any given point in their development. At the primary level teachers need to become aware of the 

level of dependency between the co-multiples and respond in a manner which  makes each child comfortable. 

Adolescent multiples may be having difficulty  with their relationship as each strives to establish an independent   

identity. Identical and fraternal relationships will differ, as will relationships between same sex and different sex 

fraternals. Parents can offer insights which will enable the educator to respond in a more effective manner to the 

needs of the children. 

6. School districts should provide staff at all grade levels with multiple-related research and reading materials. 

Educators should seek out the latest research findings regarding the psychology of multiple birth children and 

incorporate these findings into their pedagogy. Reading materials regarding multiple birth children should be 

available in all faculty libraries. In service programs related to this topic would benefit the instruction of multiple 

birth children. Parents of older multiple birth children should be contacted as resource persons. Teachers who 

are aware of the literature and the issues affecting multiple birth children are  another welcome source of support 

for multiple birth families and may become the vital link between these families and available support groups and 

programs. 

7. At the university level, schools of education should include research findings into the psychology of twins and 

higher order multiples in their curricula. Attention should be paid to preparing teachers who are informed and 

sensitive to the needs of an increasing population of multiple birth children. 

www.TwinsLegislation.com