ABSTRACT
It is almost 50 years since Shere observed, ‘This study appears to suggest that the condition of cerebral palsy can be more harmful to the social and emotional development of the non-cerebral-palsied child than it is to his cerebral-palsied twin’1. Even so, it is entirely appropriate to begin this chapter with this comment for two reasons. First, despite the growing recognition of the high incidence of morbidity and mortality in multiples, Shere’s1 study remains one of the very few to adopt a quantitative approach to psychological effects of a specific disorder on the co-twin, let alone the entire family. Although this statement may appear confrontational and/or debatable to some readers, it clearly emphasizes the need to consider disability and the twin family, rather than just the twin with the disability. Second, the questions then arise, what can be done about this problem and how can help for the twin or higher-order multiple with a disability be linked with help for the entire family and especially the nondisabled co-twin?
