Jul 11 2008
Discovering Programs for Down syndrome: Love and Learning
There are so many great programs out there that will help your child with Down syndrome and mosaic Down syndrome that I think it is important to let everyone know about these programs. So, in continuing with this theme, today I want to tell you about a great program called Love and Learning.
One of IMDSA’s members, Suzanne, reminded me of this program this week. She said she has been using it with her daughter since she was 4 months old. Zoe will be turning 1 yr old next week and Suzanne says that she loves watching the videos on tv!
Love and Learning points out three important factors:
- Infants start learning (listening to and organizing sounds) soon after birth.
- The key to language development is to teach reading at the same time.
- The average child will watch over 5000 hours of television before first grade.
When describing their technique they make several points:
So what is their technique?
Love and Learning says, “What makes our materials unique is the way letters/words are clearly presented to help children focus their attention. There are 3 parts to each learning kit. An audio tape works on vocalization and is played at naptime, bedtime or playtime and lets the child hear the words spoken in a clear, slow manner. A DVD repeats the same words visually and phonetically, again in a clear, focused presentation. Special books clearly present the same letters/words and, when used for just a few minutes each day, reinforce the audio and video tapes as well as provide a special time for parent and child to read together. Included on each DVD is a presentation on how to use this technique to best meet the individual needs of your child. The materials were originally developed for children age birth to 3 years but can also be used in other situations.”
In browsing their site I discovered that they now have computer programs for older children and also suggest that older children and adults can benefit from their program.
The reason I like this program……
I can see where this would definitely help children who have speech delays or are non-verbal. I think early intervention is the key to success and I don’t think anyone should wait to see if there is going to be a problem before they decide to help with the area that is delayed.
Also, another reason I like this program is that Dr. Libby Kumin, among others, recommends this program. Dr. Kumin is on IMDSA’s advisory board and also works with us in research for the special speech problems we are finding in those with MDS.
With Dr. Kumin’s stamp of approval, this program surely makes a difference not only in reading, but also in speech!
Finally, they also offer suggestions on who to contact to help you purchase their programs! They have a good list of organizations that help with these kinds of programs and I know we as parents can use all the help we can get!
3 Responses to “Discovering Programs for Down syndrome: Love and Learning”
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Dear Kristy,
My little one is on this programme since he is around 8 months old. He is going to be Two next month and he has lots of single words, and can read Love and Learning books and also recognises words from other books. I would certainly recommend this. Oh! Forgot to add, My little one has Trisomy 21.
Your Blogs are Great.
Thank you.
Thank you Nirupama for this information and your kind words as well!
I think it is great that your son is doing so well with Love and Learning! There are so many great programs out there and I am going to do my best to highlight all of them!