Stephans Story - Part 1

Background:
As some of you will be aware - RemSpecED receives approximately 100 enquiries a week enquiring about what schooling options are available to people in specific areas and what are our opinions on various therapy techniques etc. Unfortunately we're only little so it takes a while for us to filter through the 100s of enquiries! So what we did we created the RemSpecED Blog which allows parents, teachers and therapists to integrate and form a community to discuss various ideas. Initially the take up of this has been a bit slow but we now have a new incentive for people to start following this blog a bit more intensely... From today onward we will be featuring the story of a South African parent and their young child and the challenges they faced in learning to cope with their special needs.

3D animation and learning to read – the Shrek effect and other reasons to be optimistic

Although here at FruitPhonics, we do not endorse any particular product or subscribe to any specific ’school of thought’, we believe that modern phonics based literacy tuition, sometimes called synthetic phonics, has consistently been shown to be by far the most effective route to early literacy for the majority of children.

A fishy tale

Omega-3 fatty acids are considered essential fatty acids, which means that they are essential to human health but cannot be manufactured by the body. For this reason, omega-3 fatty acids must be obtained from food. Omega-3 fatty acids can be found in fish and certain plant oils. It is important to maintain an appropriate balance of omega-3 and omega-6 (another essential fatty acid) in the diet as these two substances work together to promote health.

Funny Quotes on Baby

Now it’s time to have some fun. Take a look at our collection of some funny quotes related to baby.

A list of some funny baby quotes:

Dyslexic Parenting

Genevieve Dawid is both a dyslexic and a parent of a dyslexic. Her daughter, like herself took many years to be diagnosed with dyslexia and then receive help. Genevieve’s goal is to convince you that dyslexia is a gift and not a burden.

What’s for Lunch?

With school back in session many parents find themselves debating over whether to pack a lunch for their children or purchase their lunches from the school cafeteria. Before you decide the extra few minutes of slumber are worth the price of school lunches ask yourself if your child’s health is as easily purchased.

Horses And Children With Special Needs

I want a pony. That simple sentence has been uttered from many children’s lips over the years. A horse can be a great pet for a child. They learn about love, companionship, nurturing, relationships, and responsibility from owning their own pony or horse.

Get to grips with your invisible tormentor

A common misperception about allergies is that they only become active at certain times of the year with many believing that Spring is exclusively the season for allergies, but there are in fact two categories of allergies.

5 Ways To Help Your Child Get Ready For A Test

Getting ready for a test is something every student experiences. The skills required for test preparation are necessary throughout one’s entire school career.

Developmental Verbal Dyspraxia

Developmental verbal dyspraxia (also known as developmental dyspraxia of speech and as oral motor planning disorder) is a motor speech disorder that inhibits the person’s ability to move the tongue and lips appropriately to execute speech. It can also affect chewing and swallowing. Children with developmental verbal dyspraxia have many sound or articulation errors, and their speech typically sounds slurred and/or “bumpy”.

Bytes Communication Systems lends the Filadelfia Secondary School learners a helping hand

The children of Filadelfia Secondary School in Soshanguve north of Pretoria face many unique challenges. Some of them are visually impaired, some are hearing impaired, some have physical disabilities, and most of them cannot afford to pay school fees, never mind buy the expensive equipment their special needs require. But they all have one thing in common – the desire for an education.

After School Activities and Your Childs Development

As a child grows into an adult, different aspects of his physical, emotional and mental self needs development. To help a child reach his full potential, it is necessary to recognize the child’s developmental needs and abilities. To be effective, after school activities should assist children with tasks they must accomplish during each stage of development.

Children bond through basketball as Sasol sponsors PeacePlayers programme

Sasol and PeacePlayers International have provided Khulangolwazi Primary School in Durban with a new basketball court and life skills programme. The basketball court at Khulangolwazi Primary School for children with special needs is the third basketball facility sponsored by Sasol. The company has since 2004 supported innovative PeacePlayers International initiatives intended to develop historically disadvantaged communities.

He said / She said - a parents dilemma

The father of one of my son’s classmates apologized to me today as I was getting out of my car in the school parking lot. He felt badly for reprimanding me the day before after hearing from his daughter that my son had given her a pinch

Children's voices for isiNdebele, siSwati and Tshivenda

Can you help? As part of the THRASS Absa TalkTogether Project we are celebrating South Africa's eleven national languages through FREE interactive and printable calendar charts. These are downloadable from www.talktogether.co.za

A Special Child

This e-mail was forwarded to me during the course of this morning and while it does make a religious reference it was another example of how a single child can touch so many peoples lives... A lesson can be learnt from this kind of spirit....

Higher Ground Newsletter

Hope this email finds you all well. Here at Higher Ground we are doing great! Two successful July camps and many wonderful campers passing through and, we trust, challenged and changed. Planning is now under way for our next three camps. Please take note of the dates and should you wish to be involved in any way (as a camper, volunteer, sponsor), contact us.

Kwa-Zulu Natal Blind Tandem Cycling Assoc requires sponsorship

The Kwa-Zulu Natal Blind Tandem Cycling Assoc requires sponsors for their development program. The project involvedBlind cycling from Alberton, Gauteng to Durban from 2nd September to 5th September 2007.

Revolutionary technology for improving reading could help estimated 650,000 school kids

An instrument which records eye-movement to improve reading abilities has recently been introduced from the US to Australia and is available in Chatswood exclusively at Optometrist Leonard Fine in Westfield. The Readalyzer helps measure reading performance to identify and correct deficiencies and could benefit as many as 650,000 school children in Australia? NSW? Sydney? with reading and comprehension difficulties. This innovative assessment device is combined with treatment options aimed at improving reading for all ages.

Life is short - Play more

This is the slogan on the advertisement for X-Box, Microsoft’s equivalent of Sony’s Playstation. For the purposes of this article, I would like to change that slogan to: Childhood is Short – Play More.

School time and beyond
Controlling ADHD symptoms throughout the day into the evening

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a central nervous system disorder that is estimated to occur in between 3% and 7% of school-age children and is associated with impairments in many settings, including school¹. ADHD affects two to three as many boys as girls. Children with ADHD, the most common of psychiatric disorders in children, are unable to stay focused on a task, cannot sit still, act without thinking and rarely finish anything. If left untreated, the disorder can have long-term effects on a child’s ability to make friends, or do well at school or in other activities. Over time children with ADHD may develop depression, lack of self-esteem, and other emotional problems².

The GI and Learning Difficulties

Sweet tasting sugar has the amazing ability to get the kids bouncing off the walls. All that sugar also has a dramatic effect on the brain. So it’s no wonder that in daily life overdoing the sweet stuff affects your child’s behaviour, concentration and working ability. However, nothing is more important than sugar for your child’s brain – well it is not actually the white granules of sugar that our brain uses, but blood sugar, more specifically glucose, that the fuels the brain. So without an adequate supply we can’t think properly. We get these sugars from the foods we eat, specifically carbohydrate rich foods. The trick however lies in keeping the supply of sugar to our blood stream even and balanced.

Is my child ready to read?

There is much controversy regarding the age a child should learn to read.
I strongly believe that it is more important to develop a child's pre-literacy skills before teaching him to read formally. These pre-literacy skills include many aspects of development, but the area that Speech-Language Therapists focus on is referred to as phonemic awareness. This is defined by Yopp as "The ability to hear and manipulate the sounds in spoken words and the understanding that spoken words and syllables are made up of sequences of speech sounds" (Yopp, 1992).

South Africa’s Absa Bank to fund British literacy programme THRASS

The THRASS phonics programme, pioneered by British Educational Psychologist Alan Davies, has already been welcomed as heralding the start of a new era in the teaching of English in Africa. Now Absa, a member of the Barclays Group, are set to announce the corporate
sponsorship of THRASS though the THRASS Absa TalkTogether Project. The primary aim of the project is to increase literacy in South Africa, through the improved teaching and learning of English, that will be achieved by partnering universities, primary schools and other
organisations. The secondary aim is to provide a platform to celebrate South Africa's eleven national languages, through free interactive software and printable calendar charts.

Take charge of your children’s safety

Children are supposed to have fun and have a care-free existence. Living in a crime infested country like South Africa however could leave you constantly living in fear for your life and those of your children. The recent spate of reports on missing and abducted children has yet again begged the question, could any of this have been prevented?

Children with ADHD – dealing with frustration

A lack of knowledge exists between the relationship of frustration and ADHD (Attention-deficit / hyperactivity disorder), and yet it affects the daily functioning of many children¹.

Developing effective listening skills in children

We are very fortunate people to be living in such a visual world. Our visual senses are constantly stimulated and we are bombarded with visual input. As a result we have become largely dependent on this input to stimulate our attention. Our children are products of this visual world. They too are surrounded by televisions, play stations, computers, DVD’s etc. It is unusual today for a child to sit and listen to a story without any visual stimulation or input. However, this has a detrimental effect on their listening development, which is a vital skill necessary in the classroom.

When do I consider a program for my child?

I’d like to take a moment to consider all the programs that are popping up as a solution to learning difficulties, AD/HD, poor behaviour and more. I have had numerous enquiries as to the benefits of investing in these programs from concerned parents wanting to do the best for their children.

Using the RemSpecED blog to solve your queries

Every day the "Ask RemSpecED" e-mail box is full of enquiries relating to Remedial & Special Education needs. Ultimately this means that we sit with between 20 and 30 enquiries each week asking for help to solve problems (very often the same problems just by different people). Many of these problems could be solved by utilising the RemSpecED blog.

Discovering Nature with Your Child, In Your Own Back Garden

Backyards, they are where individuals of all ages go to relax and have fun. While many people enjoy being in their backyards, they are not the only ones. In fact, when you are in your backyard, you are rarely ever alone. At any given time, your backyard is filled with amazing, living things. If you are the parent of a young child, you may want to use this opportunity to explore nature with them. Not only will it be a fun experience, but it will also be a learning experience.

Cotlands House Opens its Doors

Cotlands officially cut the red ribbon to open “Cotlands House”, its brand new residential care project. The house accommodates children who are clinically well and receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART), and who have embarked on formal schooling.

Dust Busters

It’s almost spring and everyone is eagerly awaiting the warm weather, blossoms and new leafy beginnings. But for allergy sufferers, September to November is the dreaded allergy season as dust, pollen and other particles flood the air and cause asthma, hayfever and teary, red eyes. Numatic has just the answer to keeping child care facilities and hospitals allergy free.

Socialization and the Home Schooled Child

Below is an article written by a US mom Lisa Lee. It provides a perspective on the challenges facing US parents looking at home schooling as an option:

Laughs for teachers

Teaching requires a considerable amount of patience and sometimes the only way to get through a tough teaching day is to have a few laughs. RemSpecED went out to look for a couple of laughs to entertain our South African teachers!

Age restrictions for smoking sections of restaurants?

We’re not the pedantic type and all enjoy a good social atmosphere where people can drink and party and if they so feel - smoke… However one has to question when parents bring a toddler that is definately younger 6 months old into the Cresta Spur and specifically ASKS to sit in the smoking section when the restaurant is less than 20% full…

Learning to teach in South Africa

No one doubts that teaching is at the heart of education and schooling. And yet, argues author and educationist Wally Morrow, in the policies and plans which are shaping the transformation of education in South Africa, we think very little about teaching.

Equip Your Kids To Clean Up After Themselves

Relax. That loud crash you just heard wasn’t the roof falling in; it was your kids opening the closet door in the playroom. Has the frustration of the never-ending mess led you to settle for stuffing the clutter into the closet and shutting the door? When you find yourself cleaning up several times each day, this may seem like a viable solution. If cleaning up after the kids has left you exasperated to the point where you just want to hide the mess behind the door, maybe you need a new plan of attack.

Mentors for vulnerable children

Big Brothers Big Sisters of SA is a mentoring programme and we are in need of mentors for the vulnerable children in South Africa.

Maths, science and the skills gap: why the figures still don’t add up

Did you love maths at school? Science, maybe… but maths? It seems South Africa conforms to cliché by continuing to avoid and, still worse, flunk Maths at higher grade. Yet one needs maths to get into most scientific and engineering courses at the tertiary level.

Revolutionary Software Makes Learning to Read and Write Fun and Easy

Groundbreaking educational programme Child Font, has been heralded as an incredibly important development in the way reading and writing is taught and learned. Based on the concept of multi-sensory learning, that is education involving an array of senses and perceptions, Child Font has been proven to produce exceptional results in K-12 children acquiring reading and writing skills.

Permaculture for schools: fresh food, full stomachs, alert minds

With global warming now pretty much a fait accompli, unless you're American or Chinese, the need to make changes to the way we live has become increasingly evident. The world, its weather and its landscape will not survive in its present state if we do not. All of which seems pretty overwhelming, were it not for the fact that small scale environmental projects like the Woolworths Trust EduPlant schools permaculture programme can and will, cumulatively, make significant changes - to both the planet and people's lives

What Educational Toys Do Kids Actually Enjoy Playing With?

As parents and educators, it can be a challenge to find educational toys kids enjoy playing with. A great educational toy needs to achieve that perfect balance between being fun to play with and educational at the same time.

Solving maths’ greatest problem - the word-sum

Teachers and textbooks have tried all sorts of methods to try and solve the problem of  word-sums without success. One textbook recommends the following steps:

Face-to-face time is important

In today’s rushed and hurried world, we need to remember the importance of making eye contact with our children. It is through eye contact that we convey so many unspoken emotions and intentions. Face-to-face communication is a characteristic of real human connection unlike communicating via the plethora of on-screen devices that are characteristic of our lives today.

Correct Seating and Posture for Children

I would like to share a few ideas with you, pertaining to your children’s posture at home and school. I am a Neurodevelopmental physiotherapist with a special interest in posture. I feel we are not proactive enough at this early stage of our children’s formal education in preventing bad postural habits from forming.

Wheelchair basketball boosted by Sasol

South African wheelchair basketball has received a significant boost with Sasol coming on board as the naming right sponsors of the national wheelchair basketball team and the technical excellence programme

SA Teacher goes to Space Academy

Teachers are very often not recognised for their achievements and successes so we found it quite heart warming when we heard about a South African teacher attending a Space Academy in the States!:

SCHOOL TIME AND BEYOND
Controlling ADHD symptoms throughout the day into the evening
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a central nervous system disorder that is estimated to occur in between 3% and 7% of school-age children and is associated with impairments in many settings, including school¹.

NEW TRIAL BOLSTERS EVIDENCE THAT OMEGA-3 FISH OIL CAN BENEFIT CHILDREN WITH ADHD SYMPTOMS

Results released from the largest, clinical-based omega-3 and omega-6 trial of its kind show that supplementation with fatty acids relieves the symptoms of ADHD , adding to a growing body of evidence that nutritional intervention can directly benefit children who have issues with inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity.

CHILDREN WITH ADHD – DEALING WITH FRUSTRATION

Feelings of frustration that aren’t dealt with adequately can lead to aggression. A lack of knowledge exists between the relationship of frustration and ADHD (Attention-deficit / hyperactivity disorder), and yet it affects the daily functioning of many children¹.

Clever Play Workshops

CLEVER PLAY equips parents, child minders and pre-school teachers with tools to ensure whole child development.

Downs Syndrome - A parent’s perspective

Our second daughter, Jenna, was born on 16 September 1998.Who would have suspected that that day would change our world in so many ways. Jenna was born with Down syndrome. Our perception of what life is all about changed as Jenna started growing up in our family. Little things became big things and big things became little things. Early intervention, therapies and research became top priority.

Sensory regulatory difficulties in babies -
Understanding the “fussy” baby

Sensory Regulation is the ability of the brain to establish a balance between shutting out and letting in sensory stimuli. Each baby has a different threshold, or tolerance for stimulation.

Interview with Francoise Harrison on CranioSacral Therapy

Francoise Harrison is a qualified Occupational Therapist who has a wonderful practice in Chartwell, Johannesburg. She is passionate about her work with children and took a moment out of her busy day to help us to better understand CranioSacral Therapy.

Does carrying a school bag affect your child’s posture?

A study at the University of the Free State investigated the spinal deviation of children in Grade 5 and Grade 11, and compared those who carry a school bag to those who don’t. The results showed that there is evidence of postural deviation in children carrying a school bag, especially if it is not carried properly¹.

Interview with Kerry-Ann Scott: Kaleidoscope school

Kerry-Ann is the founder of Kaleidoscope school, and chatted to RemSpecED about her experience with children with learning difficulties and how she realised the need for her school.

Treatment options for children with ADHD

For many children with ADHD, medication is the most effective treatment. The medicines for ADHD can be divided into two groups according to how they work, namely stimulants and non-stimulants3

Rival and RemSpecED chosen by top SA Author

Rival Industrial and its education arm RemSpecED have been selected by acclaimed educationalist Dr Melodie de Jager to assist in the development of an integrated PR and Marketing campaign.

How to slay the Maths monster?

Many parents experienced Maths as a boring, unsociable subject that was very important, therefore one had to work as hard as possible at it. Maths often caused a lot of stress at school and at home and was associated with many unpleasant experiences. Can this maths monster be slain and can maths be made fun?

ADHD myths busted

It was with anger and then disappointment that I read a brief article in this weeks Northcliff and Melville Times headed: Fraud! – ADHD drugs for children. That an organization (Rights of Children in Education Project) can promote activism, and boldly make sweeping statements without investigating both sides in this technological information driven era, and that the sensationalism driven media can pick up on it is disheartening. Here’s the other side of the story!

Parenting a blind child

The birth of our daughter Colette caused us to realise that modern though our civilisation may be, much ignorance exists and primitive beliefs still abound about blindness.

ADHD – THE SYMPTOMS

ADHD, or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, is a medical condition that affects children and adolescents, causing serious problems in many aspects of their life, including school, home, work and social situations

May my child count on his fingers?

Since our decimal system is base on 10, 10 fingers should be the ideal tool to teach learners to count. The number 5, which is the number of fingers on one hand, is easy to visualise. Why do teachers object when primary school learners use their fingers to count?

Landmark Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities  to be Adopted on 13 December

A proposed Convention to protect the rights of the
some 650 million persons with disabilities will be submitted to the
United Nations General Assembly for adoption on 13 December.

Early multiple therapeutic interventions optimal for autistic children

Autism is a developmental condition (pervasive developmental disorder) and it thus stands to reason that the earlier an autistic child receives intervention the better the developmental and behavioural outcomes. There is much debate as to whether using multiple therapeutic interventions is in fact effective as families opt to use more than one approach.

ADHD DRUG HOLIDAYS – A GOOD IDEA?

Various ADHD medications can have remarkable effects during school and studying, but many parents feel their children need a break during the holidays…

RemSpecED launches its on-line shopping store

RemSpecED launches its online shopping site today with three fantastic books that are a MUST for any a child with language and mathematics difficulties! These books are written by specialist teachers to give the learner the tools needed to cope with English, Second language Afrikaans and Mathematics, all which form the foundation for learning all the other subjects.

Decision Time: Repeat / change school / remedial school

At this time of year, Ask RemSpecED gets inundated with queries about best placement for a child in the coming year. This is never an easy decision and every situation is unique. The following guidelines may be of help:

Insatiable demand for education

We have recently been involved in a series of Introductory Financial Wellness Presentations for a Metro Council in Gauteng. Its been incredibly encouraging to see the quality of the facilities in the rural community centres and libraries as well as the huge demand there is for knowledge. To date none has been more exciting than the visit to the Phomolong Community Centre where the "teachers" felt like they had walked away having learnt and appreciated something for themselves.

Christian Academy opens a remedial class

My name is Nadine Clevely and I have a wonderful little boy that has
been diagnosed with acute ADHD.

Interview with Zoe Mailloux: Occupational Therapist

RemSpecED met with Zoe Mailloux recently about her trip to South Africa and her views related to Occupational Therapy and Sensory Integration.

i-Kids safety device provides peace of mind

Recent stories highlighting child kidnappings, under-age activities and an increase in the crime rate have brought with them a plea for parents to be more aware of their children’s movements. As the summer holidays approach many children express a need for greater independence which is why the launch of an easy to use GPS-based child safety device in South Africa could be the answer.

White Noise - an introduction

Blended white noise, in combination with womb sounds, transports children back to the last comforting days in the womb which helps them to sleep better.

The down side of the festive season when pregnant: THINK BEFORE YOU DRINK

Would you gamble with your child’s life? Most women don’t realise drinking alcohol during pregnancy increases the chances of damaging your unborn baby.

Interview with Alison Smeeton about the DSAG & EmployAbility Golf Day

Alison Smeeton is the General Manager of Employability and is a committee member of the Down Syndrome Association of Gauteng (DSAG). We were invited to attend the golf day on 6th October 2006 at the Houghton Golf Course.

Corporate SA assists education institutions

Over the last week a couple of major South African businesses have come to the fore and put forward a good step toward social responsibility. We salute these  organisations and we encourage the rest of Corporate South Africa to continue to develop the youth of tomorrow.

Handy tips for moms with premature babies

Here are some tips from three moms who have had experience with premature babies. These tips were supplied by SA Preemies. www.sapreemies.za.org

Is Your Child Sensory Sensitive?

Many children (and adults) are sensory sensitive. Terms like “tactile defensive” and “auditory sensitive” have been bantered about, and associated to many children as the cause of their distractibility, emotional outbursts, and eating and sleep difficulties.

RemSpecED presents opportunities to sponsor development at LSEN schools

Currently RemSpecED distributes 2000 CDs 7 times a year to LSEN (Learners with Special Education Needs) schools as a resource for the parents and teachers

Praise Vs Encouragement

I recently attended a parenting workshop at the Bella Vida Therapy Centre entitled ‘Magic Techniques’. This empowering 4-hour workshop equips you with the skills needed to build a parent-child relationship, including: How to be become a reflective/empathetic listener, how to implement effective limit-setting skills where you use choices instead of punishment, and how to use ‘structured doll play’ in preparing your child for situations which may cause feelings of anxiety or insecurity.

Interview with leading psychiatrist Dr. David Benn

Dr. Benn is a psychiatrist at the ADDNova centre in Randburg, Johannesburg and has been qualified and practicing psychiatry since the late 1980’s. He has been involved in the introduction of Strattera into South Africa and is renowned and respected regarding issues involving children with learning barriers such as AD(H)D.

Interview with paediatrician Dr Lorna Jacklin

Dr Lorna Jackiln is a paediatrician at The Memorial Institute for Child Health and Development (TMI) in Johannesburg, Parktown. She started the Teddy Bear Clinic in 1986 which is an outpatient facility of the Johannesburg hospital and the department of paediatrics, which offers a variety of services to sexually abused children and their families including: court preparation, counselling, medical examinations and play therapy.

Special Needs Facilitation... a learning experience

Claire Bridgeford is currently a special needs facilitator with a background in pre-school, baby sitting and au-pair work. She is currently studying early childhood development and for the past 8 months she has been facilitating a young child with autism. Here she recounts her experiences.

Titbits through a therapist's eyes

I had the pleasure of observing three events this week that sparked my interest and restored my faith in human nature.

Ear infections hit deeper

Most parents are not really aware how crucial the first 24 months of a child’s life is, when it comes to encountering repeated early ear infections.

INTERVIEW WITH BARBI RAYMOND: HEAD OF CEDARWOOD SCHOOL

Barbi Raymond (BR) is the current head of Cedarwood School. This school caters for children with special education needs who, with accommodation and support, can cope with the mainstream curriculum. Barbi has an extensive career through experience, treatment and management of the learning programmes for children with a variety of conditions, and various levels of dysfunction.

Bravo to Carte Blanche – Childhood Obesity in SA

Last night (06 November 2005) Carte Blanche presented a feature on obesity in South African children. The overwhelming message of the feature was that our children are eating way too much fast food, and are not getting enough exercise. According to Carte Blanche, 1 in every 5 children in this country has obesity or is overweight, and black female children seem to be the most at risk. They also warned that these children are at greater risk of coronary heart disease than other children

The "Time Timer" - A valuable time management tool

The TIME TIMER is a unique countdown timer that shows the passing of time by the rate of the disappearance of the red segment on the timer face. Children are literally able to watch time go by!

Strattera Finally a non-addictive drug therapy for AD(H)D

South Africa has been waiting with bated breath for the release of Strattera after it was approved in the USA in 2002! 

The early identification, classroom management and transformation of learning disabilities

In Remedial teaching we have in recent years narrowly focused on the symptoms of conditions such as ADD, ADHD, Learning Disabilities, Tourette’s Syndrome and specific language and reasoning disabilities, like dyslexia and dyscalculia. We have attempted to address these by means of behaviour modification techniques - like reward and punishment systems, curriculum modifications, repetitive drills, a slowing down of pace and compensations, utilising the learner’s modality of strength, rather than pressing for advances in deficit areas.

LETTERLAND'S identity crisis

I was a bit surprised when browsing through the Letterland books at my favourite bookstore, to discover that some characters have completely changed, and others have been renamed! Letterland International seems to have decided to make their characters more "PC" by taking out all the "baddies" and modernising the characters.