7 News Features: Look Who's Reading Now

WSVN--Raising a child is often like playing the board game "Chutes and Ladders".

Many parents make strategic 'moves' to help their kids climb to the top.

Erin Rodriguez: "We always wanted him to be very smart."

But often one of the toughest ladders to scale is 'reading'

Dr. Robert Titzer: "Right now the average 8-year-old is reading at an extremely low level. Forty percent of 8-year-old Americans cannot even read."

But with the help of a new video, look who's reading now...

Baby: "Happy. Spider. Cow."

Kids as young as 15 months old are rattling off words by watching the DVD, "Your Baby Can Read."

Tony Rodriguez: "Star light star bright, can you see the stars so bright? starlight star bright how many stars are there tonight?"

Four year old Tony Rodriguez started reading when he was 2 years old.

Erin Rodriguez: "He's like the head of the class, and everybody always asks us how did you get him to read?"

Today, he motors through books, newspapers. He even loves to read the ads!

Tony Rodriguez: "1-800-456-9859. Classes start soon, call now!"

The videos work by showing children a word, then reinforcing that word with an action.

"NOSE. I am touching my nose."

They were developed by Dr. Robert Titzer after he taught his first child to read at only 9 months!

"Shows her foot, she touches her foot, shows her teeth, she touches her teeth."

Lynn Martinez: "What Dr. Titzer realized is a baby's brain develops very rapidly. The earlier you can teach them to read, the easier it actually is."

Dr. Titzer: "It's easy for children to learn earlier. It's just like learning a second language, the longer we wait the harder it is to learn."

But some experts warn -- if you push your child too hard -- they might 'chute backwards'!

Dr. Roni Leiderman: "At times we think that if we push our children they'll learn faster but in fact the opposite occurs. if we push our children beyond what they are capable of doing they get frustrated or stressed and actually shut down."

For little Tony, the videos are helping him 'climb ahead'.

Erin Rodriguez: "We have tons of books as a result, we can't keep up with him."

And even excel at other things.

Erin Rodriguez: "He's now playing about a dozen songs on the piano, and i know that the skills he's learned from reading translate to the piano becaue he's memorized notes that he's read."

There are actually five videos. They will cost you about 60 bucks total.

www.yourbabycanread.com
760-735-5800