Dear Josephine: I am writing to you in regards to a letter and word recognition program called "Love and Learning". Our daughter Christine, who has Down syndrome, began using these tapes and books shortly after she turned 2 years old. Within a few months her vocabulary increased considerably and she is able to label and recognize all the lower case letters of the alphabet. As of her 4th birthday, Christine is talking in 4 and 5 word sentences. We have been strong supporters of "Love and Learning" not only due to the positive effect it has on our daughter’s speech and pre-reading skills, but also because of her continuing enthusiasm for using it. It is our hope that you will take the opportunity to promote public awareness of this learning program through your publication. Sincerely, Beverly Pupols

FEATURE ARTICLE: LOVE AND LEARNING

Spring 1993

WHAT IS LOVE AND LEARNING? Love and Learning utilizes audio tapes, video tapes and special books in a new approach to developing a child’s vocabulary, pronunciation, comprehension and reading skills. For example, the Alphabet and Word Video Kit #1, which is the first in the sequence, teaches the components of language and reading, including the letters of the alphabet, printed words and visual/pictorial representations. It reviews the pronunciation of individual syllables and gives alphabet/word relationships such as "A as in apple". The parent presentation portion of the video tape teaches parents how to combine Parental Involvement and New Technologies (PINT) to assist language and reading development with specific recommendations on how to use the materials in the kit. The authors suggest parents use their technique in small amounts of structured time each weekday. An audio cassette tape features relaxing music with basic vocal sounds based on the alphabet and the words used in the video. Alphabet and word/picture books display words and pictures in the same format as on the video. The program was developed by Susan and Joe Kotlinski for their daughter Maria when she was still an infant because no other method seemed suitable for Maria’s special needs: Maria has Down syndrome. Eventually the Kotlinskis began marketing their program which has now been distributed to nearly 1,000 families in Canada and the US as of February, 1993. "Although we work specifically on language and reading skills, we stress to parents that these are not as important to their children as developing a sense of self-esteem and self worth. This will be the basis for all future accomplishment", say the Kotlinskis. Their emphasis is on making the child’s early learning experiences positive ones so that children will feel good about learning. With this in mind, they recommend the materials be used in a loving and caring way…never pressuring or drilling the child, and finishing each book by giving the child a hug for encouragement. Also, using the materials only with a parent will help keep them interesting and special.