To be very sceptical about the 'Your Baby can Read' program?

[michaelschumacherismygod]

My MIL has suggested that I buy this for my 7 month old son. Obviously I want to do the best for my son but I am just not sure if this is the best way for him to learn to read, whole word approach rather than phonics, watching TV for half an hour a day and large portions of his day dedicated to this system. However my MIL thinks I am being unreasonable and should pay the £150 for the program.

Would appreciate your opinions/experience, thanks!

I agree, picesmoon. I was an early reader, too...but I wasn't 'taught'; I was read to and spoken too, and when I showed interest, my mother pointed things out. It didn't necessarily shape my academic career...I'm fairly average, but I have always loved to read. My DS is 4, and loves books, loves to be read to, loves to make up stories, but he has zero interest in learning to read at this point, and I am okay with that...I would rather he waited until he was ready.

Forcing it on them might make them read early, but I don't necessarily think it fosters a love of reading for pleasure. I also kind of think that pushing a child to read early is all about the parents, not the child.

It's not whether a child can learn to do certain things early or not - it's what they might miss out on by not doing other things. I had a very bright friend wo could read at eighteen months but didn't know where milk came from or indeed where the park was. I know, I know, this is not going to be the case everywhere but just proceed with caution. I do also think that sometimes it doesn't really matter how a baby's brain develops but that they have experiences to help it to. My dd knew letter sounds by two, but she could just as easily learnt the bones of the body or have an in depth knowledge of the different makes of cars, I think the effect on her brain would have been the same.

Well, what do you do when your 16 month old asks "I want to read it? I want to read it?" To us and to her grandma?

That's why I grabbed a few packets of pound shop magnetic letters/words and why I read to her even more frequently and keep TV to an absolute minimum of about 15 mins a day (more for DH benefit as he looks after her tree days a week and finds it difficult to shower otherwise)

It's not goal oriented, in that I'm not thinking about her 'reading Tolkein at 5',and it's never pushed on her (I let her lead her playing -- which is usually to to with throwing water all over the place or eating coins .

As for being about me, who's there to see this? It's play between me and her in the confines of our home. I don't tell friends, although MIL is a former teacher and she likes to sit down and show her words too, I've only answered this because I suppose I am in a very loose sense, teaching my daughter to read.

I cuddle her, read to her, let her attention fall on what she wants -- all the things you're supposed to. Just sometimes she likes to look at words, make sounds, play games with them. I don't wake her up and get the white board out

As for saying zebra when seeing a picture of a zebra and the word and seeing the zebras at the zoo each week -- I think she's grasping the concept of zebra-ness!

I think this is the differerence between the UK and that much vaunted Scandinavian experience. It's not that Scandinavian children learn nothing until they are taught to read at age 6. But they do more practical things. You see 4yos confidently using a hammer or making cakes. Nursery children help to prepare their own lunch. The craft objects turned out by children at nursery and primary children are of high quality: candleholders you can actually use, properly stitched embroidery (I have had many a useful Christmas present from nieces and nephews, never anything I could actually use from UK educated dcs). They seem to do a lot of nature trails and you always meet nursery classes on public transport (usually with a teacher-pupil ratio that would give Ofsted nightmares). It's not about devaluing book learning, more about valuing lots of different kinds of learning.

littlebylittle

I can't see how showing some words, reading books as past

My 19 month old is up 12 hours pretty much each day with a 1 hour nap and I have to sling her to get that out of her, so I am out of the house at a toddler group every day, then nap, then on to the zoo/science/museum/park/aquarium/friends/countryside for the afternoon. I can't see how some short playing at home impinges on her discovering the world at her own pace?

Are these people literally chaining their kids to the floor and spending 4 hours plus a day training them -- so they can

I think there may be other issues behind your 18 month old friend not knowing about the outside world which may have little to do with early reading.

sorry, hit the button too early

"I can't see how showing some words and reading some books when your child has shown an interest means that they are diverted away from discovering the world?" I meant to say.

These early reading programmes are pretty intensive - it's not just about sharing books with your baby. I know - I tried one

I don't think that was littlebylittle's point, dorisbonkers...

I think if you are focusing soley on getting the child to read, to the detriment of the child being able to explore, then it's a problem...you have to maintain a balance.So absolutely take them out into the world, teach them practical things, but ALSO read to them, talk to them, point out letters, etc.

And, if your child has expressed an interest in reading, that's great...I think we're all saying that forcing a child who isn't there yet is a bit .

thanks eve absolutely. My dd learnt letter sounds by two so I'm not anti early stuff if they're interested. the problem comes when it's trying to get children to be ready rather than responding to them when they are ready and being honest about where your child is with this. My daughter just hasn't been interested in learning to read or write her name despite loving stories, knowing letters and their sounds and it has been hard to respond to that and relax and know that her pretend play, creativity and independent ideas of what she wants to do any learn are as important even though they are not instantly recognisable in the same way as reading is. I have no doubt that she will learn to read quickly when she is ready and I guess some people have a problem with children outside the norm, whether that is judged to be too early or too late.

Lol at seekers post. You summed it up perfectly!

Mippy - thanksa for coming back and answering my question. It does seem a shame you didn't get to meet other gifted kids - it must have tough fitting in and I can see how the reading helped your self esteem which might otherwise have been battered by being dyspraxic.

These days you'd be forced to play outside in mud, jump on trampoline and squeeze play doh all day to help your dyspraxia (like i do with ds ) so count yourself lucky!!!

I learned to ride a bike at 26 and I can honestly say it was my proudest achievement. It's great more kids get diagnosed now rather than being dismissed as mere clumsies.

quite right cory. There is nothing wrong with learning to read early in and of itself (assuming the child is interested), but just so many other valuable and enjoyable things a small child could be doing rather than sitting in front of a telly/flashcard/at a desk. And really, whats the rush?

Is that the one with the American kids noticing what the word Clap or Eyes says and its 3 payments of £49 or £125 or something??

Thats nothing you cant do yourself imo.

I just remembered what the adverts (which I saw a few years ago) reminded me of.

Those stories about horses doing maths - banging their hooves for the answer!

Hi everyone,

Just a quick line to say that the flash cards method works! You don't need to spend £150! I starting by doing my own flash cards from home and my baby, now 2 years old recognizes his most familiar words and loves reading.

My mother used the Doman's method on myself when I was three years old and at the age of 4 I could read and write! It definitely gave me great confidence in life and I highly recommend to all mums who have 5 minutes a day with the children to show some flash cards!

I'm a big fan of this method! If you want to get large flashcards at a reasonable price, you can google brainyflashcards and start giving your baby an amazing opportunity n life.

I was interested in reading and learned in my 2s as I asked mum what things said and she told me.

My sister was not interested in reading so learned later.

We are now 16 and 24 and can read equally well.

Every child goes at their own pace and if you push it then it won't be fun.

Hi,

I have a newborn and read 3 of the Doman books and felt it made common sense and it appealed to me.

I searched these fora for arguments against and found lots of mums saying things like "let a child be a child", "kids don't need to read, crawl early, do maths....etc" Well that's their opinion, but its just an opinion, and was backed up with nothing, so I ignored it.
My thought at this time was if the kid enjoys it, why not do it, Doman has shown its of benefit, so if its doing no harm, why not take as much good from it as you can - makes sense right?
Well now I learn Doman is widely discredited in much of his work, which throws into doubt all his claims, and also rubbishes my own argument that doing will be of some benefit.
I'm not going to be doing this programme, despite having bought books and built materials and am writing this post to give a proper negative argument for people like me who may be looking for a concrete against argument before deciding to go ahead.
Do what you like with your kids, but if you are thinking of this please read the following links, including one from the American Academy of Paediatrics. In short:

"The Doman-Delacato patterning technique is pseudoscience because it is premised on a bankrupt and discarded theory and, more importantly, has failed to demonstrate any significant effectiveness under controlled conditions, and yet it is being purveyed as an innovative and effective treatment, and even possibly a cure. The IAHP and NACD cannot support the claims that they make, and are therefore guilty of fraud. Current regulations should prevent such abuse, but unfortunately such institutions as the FDA lack the manpower and the teeth to properly enforce such regulations and fulfill their role to protect the public from the snake-oil salesman, dressed up in the modern clothes of alternative medicine, that increasingly prey upon the vulnerable, the sick, and the desperate."

pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/104/5/1149.full

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Institutes_for_the_Achievement_of_Human_Potential#_

www.srmhp.org/archives/patterning.html

Latest guidelines indicate screen time before approx 2 years in detrimental rather than helpful. It was a study on Baby Einstein by an American think tank. Can't recall which one.

Op Let me guess it is an idea from accross the Pond. Your MIL is being ridiculous. Tell her if she wants to waste £150 she can but you won't be.

I used the Doman method back in the 70s. My DD could recognise words at about 16 months and read by 2. My DS was older and learnt to read at about 3.5. Both have been avid readers all their lives but have not chosen early reading with their own DC.

Zombie thread and Bucca has posted that on about 4 boards.

Why does a baby need to read? they should be doing normal baby things, sounds like baloney to me.

This is a thread from 2010!
I have yet to meet a baby who has the remotest interest in reading!