Home Back

Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 370.153
EAN: 9780743213684
ISBN: 0743213688
Label: Simon & Schuster
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 288
Publication Date: December 30, 2003
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Studio: Simon & Schuster

---

Accessories:

• The Myth of Laziness
• A Mind At A Time
• Ready or Not, Here Life Comes

Related Items:

• A Mind at a Time
• Ready or Not, Here Life Comes
• The Motivation Breakthrough: 6 Secrets to Turning On the Tuned-Out Child
• It's So Much Work to Be Your Friend: Helping the Child with Learning Disabilities Find Social Success
• Keeping a Head in School: A Student's Book About Learning Abilities and Learning Disorders
• see more

---

Editorial Review:

Amazon.com Review:
A professor of pediatrics at the University of North Carolina Medical School, Mel Levine received acclaim for his previous book, A Mind at a Time, which argued that children’s different learning capabilities demand diverse teaching strategies. In The Myth of Laziness, Levine isolates another group of kids--so-called "lazy" children who aren’t working up to their potential in school--and explores the causes of their low performance. Levine scoffs at the perception that any child is lazy, stating that "everybody yearns to be productive." These children, according to Levine, are simply experiencing "output failure" due to different neuro-developmental weaknesses.

Levine produces case studies of seven children and adults who have been labeled lazy and identifies internal sources that are undermining their production. Many of their output issues revolve around difficulties with writing, as is the case with Russell, who is hindered by his low motor skills, or Clint, whose long-term memory lapses prevent him from expressing himself well. Other weaknesses, such as poor oral language ability, mental energy dysfunction, poor idea generation, and organizational problems, plague the individuals in these case studies. Levine talks briefly about external factors that contribute to low output, such as socioeconomic background, family life, and negative role models. In the profile for Scott Murray, Levine even has the humility to admit that he was unable to reach this young man. External influences--namely, Scott’s privileged upbringing--were too pervasive in causing his output failure.

The last few chapters are devoted to suggestions for what parents and teachers can do to foster productive output in their children and students and how to detect a problem that is internal rather than environmental. Tips on how to cultivate writing skills, set up an organized home office, and assist with homework are aimed at parents while teachers are encouraged to consider individuality among their students’ learning styles. Finally, the appendices offer two worksheets to help students plan stories and reports. Two additional worksheets help pinpoint whether output problems are the cause of poor schoolwork. This is a valuable book that will give parents some guidance in solving their children’s productivity issues and preparing their children successfully for adulthood. --Cristina Vaamonde

Product Description:


"When we call someone lazy, we condemn a human being," writes Mel Levine, M.D. In The Myth of Laziness, the bestselling author of A Mind at a Time shows that children dismissed as unproductive or "lazy" usually suffer from what he calls "output failure" -- a neurodevelopmental dysfunction that can continue to cause difficulties into adulthood if left unchecked.

The desire to be productive is universal, says Dr. Levine, but that drive can often be frustrated by dysfunctions that obstruct output or productivity. Drawing on his clinical experience and using real-life examples of both children and adults he has worked with, Dr. Levine shows how to identify and remedy these dysfunctions. A child suffering from language production dysfunction, for example, may be incapable of clearly expressing or explaining his thoughts, thereby leading to low productivity in school. A child who has difficulty making choices may wait until it is too late to complete a project or may act impulsively, creating a pattern of bad judgments. Similarly, a child with memory weaknesses may be unable to draw on his accumulated knowledge for an assignment. In each of these cases, as Dr. Levine shows, writing skills are often the key to diagnosing specific causes of output failure.

Practical, wise, and compassionate, The Myth of Laziness offers parents and teachers day-to-day strategies and support to prevent output failure and, when necessary, to help children overcome dysfunction and become productive, successful adults.




Rating: - Laziness is learned not inherent
Dr. Levine's book, The Myth of Laziness is great at breaking down why children and adolescents can have struggles with academics and even day to day tasks. I am also a developmental and behavioral pediatrician and in my work with children, parents, and teachers, have found that demystifying why a child/adolescent is struggling is the first step to developing a plan of both intervention and accommodation.

Too often, however, the struggling child becomes a struggling adolescent before ... Read More

---

Rating: - Fantastic book
Great insights into how children learn and how to create interventions that effectively help struggling students!

---

Rating: - The Myth of Laziness
I read this in a book chat with other teachers. It makes you rethink how you view students. It has been one of the most influential books that I have read in quite some time. All teachers should read this.

---

Rating: - Demystifying the "Lazy" Child
Since I work with students who have a variety of learning differences that hinder their output, I was very encouraged by this book. It is so useful to have someone methodically lay out different case studies so you know what to look for, then provide the keys to overcoming those deficits. Only a few of my students fit the profile of "output failure" as described by Dr. Levine; however, his methods for assisting students to get organized (notes, schedules, school supplies) and for developing stories ... Read More

---

Rating: - Great resource for student with poor written output
Mel Levine's book, "The Myth of Laziness" helps provide the reader with insight into the complexity of children's difficulties with written tasks. The author drives home the point that often what we may view as "lazy" due to poor performance or lack of productivity on written tasks, often seems to have a neuro-developmental basis. By identifying the reasons why someone is having difficulty with written tasks or why someone even tries to avoid the tasks, we can better help them. The book uses case studies ... Read More

---

Arts & Photography • Biographies & Memoirs • Business & Investing • Children's Books • Comics & Graphic Novels • Computers & Internet • Cooking, Food & Wine • Entertainment • Gay & Lesbian • Health, Mind & Body • History • Home & Garden • Law • Literature & Fiction • Medicine • Mystery & Thrillers • Nonfiction • Outdoors & Nature • Parenting & Families • Professional & Technical • Reference • Religion & Spirituality • Romance • Science • Science Fiction & Fantasy • Sports • Teens • Travel •