A child’s ability to read is often a measure of mental development, and the pace at which this ability occurs is perhaps one of the most important concerns of his or her parents. Many of us simply expect a child to eventually develop literacy skills, without setting specific goals to this end. But, what if these sought after skills don’t develop at the desired rate, when left to chance? What if a child enters the school system with a reading deficiency, rather than the expected proficiency that so many parents desire?

It should come as no surprise, then, that a program like “Your Baby Can Read” has garnered so much attention. Developed by language professor Dr. Robert Titzer, the program takes advantage of the relatively short window of about 5 years in an infants life in which learning is the most natural. About 90% of a child’s brain develops between 3 months and 5 years of age, and it’s during this period that children are virtual learning ‘sponges’, absorbing and processing information at incredible rates.

“Your Baby Can Read” takes advantage of such elevated brain development by using interactivity to teach language. The program, which consists of 5 DVDs, used over a 6 to 7 month period, focuses primarily on the visual and auditory senses. The infant is presented with a word; the word is pronounced slowly and articulately; and an arrow follows simultaneously beneath the word at the same tempo. The infant is then shown video footage of real baby demonstrating the meaning of the word. To further reinforce the connection, the infant student is then given the opportunity to speak the word and perform the same action.

The assumption made by the program and its developers (which is supported by literacy research) is that children are more likely to succeed in school if given a jump start at an early age. And, if they succeed in school, they are more likely to not only stay in school but to perform exceptionally well.

There are also additional printed materials available for use with the 5 DVD “Your Baby Can Read” program. A set of 82 double-sided, colorful vocabulary cards, a 50 card word game, a set of 5 lift-a-flap books, a parent’s how-to guide, a music CD, and a workshop DVD are all included with the full program.