Talking without Speaking

Parents of twins often say their children are a little unusual or a bit special. But according to 16-year-old twin Gerald Scott, there are ways in which some sets of twins are quite amazing.

'My twin, Owen, and I have had a very special bond since we were born. When we were very small, we had our own language. Our mum says we used to talk to each other using our own special language. We knew what we were saying but nobody else understood. Even our mother didn't understand us! As we've got older, we've started using telepathy to communicate. Sometimes we don't need to speak at all; we just use our minds. We can somehow send messages to each other even when we aren't in the same place. I know it sound weird, but I've always known if Owen was in trouble. Once he had a bad fall in rugby - he broke his leg and when it happened, I got this terrible pain in my leg.'

Although it sounds strange, telepathy between twins isn't so unusual. There has been a lot of research that has proved that some twins have this ability. One experiment involved eight-year-old Richard Powles and his twin, Damien. First, they were put in separate, sound-proof rooms, and Damien was wired up to a machine that measured his responses. Richard was then asked to put his arm into freezing cold water. At the exact moment he put his arm into the water, Damien's responses went wild. And it was the same whenever anything scary or surprising happened to Richard - his brother in the other room reacted too.

There have been cases between celebrity twins too. Actor Ashley Olsen tells us that, even when they are far apart, she knows when her twin sister, Mary-Kate, is going through a difficult time or when she isn't happy. So, maybe it's true - maybe some twins don't need words at all to speak to each other.