The Myth of Laziness

America's Top Learning Expert Shows How Kids--and Parents--Can Become more Productive

By: Mel Levine M.D. M.D.

Narrated by: Mel Levine M.D. M.D.

“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.©2002 Mel Levine, All Rights Reserved; (P)2002 Simon & Schuster Inc., All Rights Reserved, AUDIOWORKS Is an Imprint of Simon & Schuster Audio Division, Simon & Schuster Inc.

A great listen

I am an educational consultant who works with charter schools and am constantly dealing with, in one way or another the issues in this book. As usual Dr. Levine provides great context for me on the issues many learners and educators confront daily. If you are looking for a context to frame issues around getting schools to do as much as is necessary to properly help your student learn, this book will provide you with plenty.

Very Interesting

I ordered this book not knowing what to expect. What I got was a very intelligent set of observations of people with "output failure" from a variety of causes. Although some of the examples are more extreme than anyone I know, I found myself somewhere in the stories of each of these young people. He has thoughtful recommendations and he makes it clear that there are no easy cures, but rather meaningful approaches to let the struggle towards improvement continue.

Excellent Book for young adults and parents

I found that once I started this book I had a hard time turning it off. I was intrigued by this new approach to learning. I really think this author is on to something. I hope that his ideas become more public and that our schools take these approaches and put them into practice!!

Fantast and Interesting

I found the book very interesting. I did not expect to realize a bit of myself and husband in there. Always learning new ways to help others.

No real info.

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

I don't think anyone would like this book. The book is stating the fact, that some people are lazy, but no advice how to fix it. I listen to the end, and there was not answer to my question. Just the fact, we are who we are, there is no fixing...waste of time and money.

Any additional comments?

Very disappointing.