Let your baby read to you

Monday, Feb. 27, 2006 | 7:36 a.m.

Zoe Gaines enjoys curling up on the plush carpeted floor of her Green Valley home and reading a good book.

Murder mysteries? Nah. Romance novels? Not quite. A fascinating memoir, political nonfiction or a literary classic? Not even close.

Her tastes are a little more juvenile, but Zoe is only 2.

While Zoe has trouble reading entire sentences in the books that are suggested for kids 4 to 6 years old, she recognizes - and knows the meaning of - many of the words, as well as the colorful pictures.

Zoe's parents are among a group of people who have become devout followers of Robert C. Titzer, an educator and researcher in the field of infant learning.

During a lecture March 8, Titzer will speak on teaching children as young as 3 months how to read. The program will begin at 10:30 a.m. at the Lied Discovery Children's Museum, 833 Las Vegas Blvd. North.

He believes that many parents do not realize just how much a child can learn up to age 2.

The Gaineses do.

"They (babies) are such sponges when it comes to learning," said Bernalyn Gaines, Zoe's Philippines-born mother who did not learn how to read until she was 7 - after first learning how to speak English.

Her husband, theatrical producer Stephen Gaines, says that while he initially was concerned about putting too much pressure on his daughter to learn to read at such a young age, Zoe took to a DVD series produced by Titzer and her books like a fish to water.

"She started to learn to read at about 10 months and would look back at us, smiling with confidence when she learned new words," he said. "I was very skeptical about this at first, but now I am confident that she will have the confidence to accomplish anything in life.

"And any child can do this."

To test whether Zoe could read, she was given randomly selected pages from three books. She correctly identified letters, colors, numbers, words and images on the pages.

She also pointed at continents on a globe and correctly named them.

Handed a Sun reporter's business card, she correctly spelled the "L-A-S" in Las Vegas Sun, said the reporter's first name and "moon" after looking at the yellow Sun logo. She then thought a minute, then changed her mind and said "sunset?"

The Gaineses have already begun to teach Zoe's 4-month-old sister, Sunni, how to read. Sunni watches the DVDs. Also, Zoe shares her books with Sunni, whose primary interest at this stage is gnawing on the corners of the pages.

Titzer tried out his theories on his two daughters when they were infants. His oldest child, Aleka, is now a 14-year-old high school junior who skipped two grades, which her father attributes to her having learned to read early.

"It is important for a child to learn language skills early in life," said Titzer of San Diego. "Ninety percent of brain development occurs by age 5, and 75 percent of brain weight is developed by age 2.

"Yet in the state of California, half of students are reading below grade level. Studies have found that, of the children who are not reading at grade level by age 8, fewer than one in eight ever catch up to grade level."

In Clark County schools, 42 percent of third graders read at or above national standards, according to the state's Criterion Reference Test. That figure dips to 40 percent by the fifth grade, but climbs to 45 percent by the eighth grade.

A local school official says there is something to teaching babies to read and giving them a leg up on their introduction to education.

"I'm not familiar with his (Titzer's) research, but he does make some valid points," said Diane Reitz, literacy director for the Clark County School District. "We have long promoted that parents read to children early in life as well as children owning books or having access to books in their homes.

"It definitely helps if parents are involved. If parents are not involved, the child may not have exposure to print or the opportunity to develop a love for literacy."

Titzer's theories of infant learning, which have been published in scientific journals, focus on what he calls "multi-sensory" techniques.

"How intelligent are babies? They learn what you expose them to," said Titzer, who has a Ph.D. in human performance from Indiana University, where he worked for several years in developmental psychology laboratories testing babies' intelligence.

"If you see your baby staring at his toes, write down the word 'toes,' show it to him, touch his toes and say the word - that's sight, touch and sound," Titzer said. "Use as many sensory devices as you can."

Anyone interested in attending the Las Vegas workshop will have to pay the standard museum entrance fee of $7 for adults and $6 for children. Babies 12 months and younger will be admitted for free.

Ed Koch can be reached at 259-4090 or at koch@lasvegassun.com.