Posted on 03/10/2008 1:03:36 PM PDT by BGHater
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A month ago, when I got an e-mail from a Lubbock mom who told me her 16-month-old baby could read, I didn't really take it seriously - especially when she told me it was her first baby. But after a few weeks and a few more e-mails, I decided to meet her and see for myself.
Elizabeth Barrett is now 17 months old. She looks and acts like most babies her age, but her mom Katy says, "She can read sentences. She can read more words than we can count."
So we watched as Elizabeth pulled out her favorite book, climbed in her favorite reading chair, and looked at pictures.
Katy, a speech pathologist who is married to Michael, another speech pathologist, told me that most people don't believe their infant is a reader.
"The joke is that since we see kids with language problems, we think anybody with normal language skills is a genius. But as time goes on, it's harder to deny that she's exceptional," said Katy.
Aside from reading books every day, play-time means mom writes down a word on paper and Elizabeth figures it out.
When we asked to see what Elizabeth could do, Katy wrote excited on a piece of paper and said, "Elizabeth, what does this say?" Elizabeth said "excited" and waved her hand over her chest. Katy explained that Elizabeth not only read the word, but signed it as well.
Katy is convinced that sign language helped launch her daughter's reading skills, partly by watching shows like "Signing Times" on public television.
"What's this word?' she asked. "Bear", answered Elizabeth." Yes, it said bear.
But we still weren't convinced. So I asked if I could try it. I wrote down the word ball.
"Ok, Elizabeth. What's this word?" I asked. "Ball", she said. That's when I nearly fell over.
Next my cameraman, Brandon wanted to try, so he wrote down the word banana.
"What's this word, Elizabeth," he asked her. "Banana", she said. Indeed, it was banana. That's when Brandon fell back and said, "I am very impressed!"
So we played "stump the baby". I picked up a magazine, opened it somewhere in the middle and randomly pointed to a picture of a plate and the three words underneath it. "What does this say?" I asked her. Elizabeth said, "How to eat." And she was right.
So we kept at it. "What's this word?" "Family", she said. "Can you read this one?" "Good", she answered. "Ok, what's this?" "Night", she said. Every time, she was right.
It was obvious, Elizabeth talks like she's 1, but she reads like she's 7. So what does her doctor think? Dr. Steve Stripling, Elizabeth's pediatrician, says at 14 months he saw her sight read the word avocado.
"I was floored", he told me.
The Barretts say they weren't trying to impress the doctor when they showed him what Elizabeth could do. It was more important for them to know that she didn't have some condition, like autism.
Dr. Stripling told me, "Elizabeth does not appear to be autistic at all. It looks like this child is going to be completely normal and, likely, will be a great resource for humanity, being as smart as she is."
What a relief to the Barretts that they can quiz Elizabeth on dozens of words but still enjoy playing, laughing, watching TV, and many other activities. I listened to Elizabeth read words like happy, puppy, penguin, vegetable, and kangaroo. That was impressive enough, but apparently, she's inherited her parent's love of music as well. When her mom wrote down Led Zeppelin, Buddy Holly, and the Beatles, she said those words too.
Again, Katy reminded me that it's not bragging rights, but a call for help, that brings this family to NewsChannel 11 for this story. Dr. Stripling also told me he is very glad they are showing people what Elizabeth can do. The reason? When the parents contact major medical centers for advice on how to challenge their little girl, nobody calls or writes back. Because they don't believe what she can do. Dr. Stripling says since seeing is believing, maybe the right people will contact them after seeing this story.
Katy told me, "We just want to know what to do with her next. We want her to be challenged. We don't want to hold her back," Katy said.
Just for fun, I scribbled one more thing on a piece of paper and held it up for Elizabeth to read. "Tonight Show", she said. That's what it said, and I have a feeling that's exactly where you might see Elizabeth the next time she's on TV.
"Signing Time" is distributed by American Public Television. It airs on KTXT, Channel 5, at 8:30 on Sunday mornings. For more information on the program, (click here).
Since this story originally aired on NewsChannel 11, many stations from around the country have called us wanting to broadcast this story in thier markets. We have learned that the Today Show has made arrangements to fly Elizabeth and her family to New York to be interviewed on Friday, March 7th. They have set Elizabeth up with a specialist from New York University.
My mom taught me to read and write very early, I’m thinking 4ish. Not so impressive compared to the Lubbock Baby, but hey!
MM
You get the idea...
Its not like there is a lot to do in Lubbock (go Tech)
>>”...likely, will be a great resource for humanity, being as smart as she is.”
My mother (a genius) could read the newspapers at age 2. But if you want to get a rise out of her, just try calling a genius a “resource” for humanity.
Incidentally, my sister and I (normal brains, homeschooled) could read passably well at age 3, but were not allowed to touch bird cage liner.
I used to teach at a Montessori preschool. We taught reading from Day 1 to 2 1/2 year olds. Children often learn to read long before they can write or tie their shoes.
One boy was brought in by parents who said that he appeared able to read almost immediately after he began to talk. At first they thought he had memorized his story books. But then he started reading cereal boxes and newspapers and they knew it wasn’t rote memorization of favorite stories.
I developed a great relationship with this bright boy over the next few years of schooling and asked him how he had learned to read.
Answer: Wheel of Fortune.
I use to work with special ed children through signing.
They can understand so much that way.
However, I have one child of my own that could read by
age 2 also, through phonics, reading Cat in the Hat, and
more.
She just turned 13 and reads on 10th grade level. However,
in other classes and this year including reading she makes
A’s and B+’s.
My husband and myself ask her teachers to try and challenge her to reach beyond that.
They just tell us to be grateful we have an awesome student.
We are very grateful, but when they get into public education you have to help the teachers and the child
to see there full potential.
Okay, I’ll bite. What 3 languages?.............
I was an early reader too, as were my sisters and their children. I attribute it to being in a reading family and being read to a lot as children
I believe she is doing this well because both her parents are speech pathologists and know how to teach her better communication skills. Although she is probably exceptionally bright, I believe a lot of kids her age could also do well, (if not quite as well as she is doing), if given the time and attention and the right instruction. I’m glad to see the signing show becoming popular. Multiple ways of communicating can only help their language skills. I know a kid her age who is speaking English and Chinese.
She probably learned to read since there’s nothing else to do in Lubbock.
(...Ducking for cover!!)
Well so what!
My kids can fling boogers!
Don’t let the lazy public ed folks “least common denominator” your kid!
The baby flunked when mom presented her with the following series of words: LIAR, CHEATER, THIEF, SOCIALIST and the baby’s only response was democrat.........
It can be frustrating. I think we have to expect the
best for our children. She has always been borderline
for the gifted program. We are from Texas when they
wanted to test her then but we moved to Branson, Mo,
which every stars child is in, there is no room.
It is frustrating to get across to teacher’s that she is
the one that gets down when she doesn’t get on the honor
roll, not us.
Yes, we know she is capable, but she is the one that
gets down.
Home schooled kids socialize all the time. If they’re christians, they have lots of church friends and kids to socialize with. There are LEAH groups that put together lots of activities and trips for homeschoolers. (I’m just as glad they don’t socialize like public school kids do.)
My youngest son was reading newspapers at 5. He was always a smart kid. Even taught himself to play piano and now the blues harmonica. He’s very good at it. He MUST have taken after his mom—LOL!).
Everybody knows people named Elizabeth are exceptional.
the two sons of one of my nephews once - many years ago - had me convinced that the older one, then in second grade, had taught the younger one, then 2 and 1/2, to read
they demonstrated with the three of of us sitting down to read one of their favorite story books
with me in the middle, the oldest one turned the pages of the book as the younger one ‘read’ the story, word for word, page by page to the end
in reality, they confessed, they had played a joke on me, by way of an accomplishment of a different sort
the older one had taught the younger one to memorize, word for word, the story as told by the image on each page
they then showed, using a couple more of their story books, that the pages could be selected in any random order, and the younger one still knew/had memorized the word for word tale that belonged to each page
that to me was impressive on it’s own
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