11 September 2007

vision-mission: models: mel levine

"i'm a pediatrician with a mission.

i'm obsessed with helping children find [13/14] success.
over the years, working in all sorts of settings, i have been struck by the despairing flock of boys and girls out there trying to make a go of it but faltering badly and disappointing their teachers, their families, and, worst of all, themselves. it has to be hard, very hard, to be a disappointment.

i have come to the conclusion that helping such children find their way is as much a part of pediatric care as curing asthma attacks and ear infections" (pp. 13-14)

"... having seen so often the agony of those who taste failure at an early age, i have developed a FERVENT COMMITMENT to such kids and to their parents and teachers. all are well-meaning, innocent victims of a child's particular neurological circuitry.

"... they all can be helped once we identify the strengths of their minds as well as the potholes that get in the way of thier success or mastery. we can cultivate their minds by addressing the weaknesses and strengthening the strengths." (p. 15

- melvin d. levine, md* (2003). a mind at a time. simon & shuster.
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*mel levine is a professor of pediatrics at the university of north carolina medical school and the director of its clinical center for the study of development and learning. he refers to himself as a "developmental-behavioral pediatrician specializing in learning differences" (2002, p. 2.**)
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** the myth of laziness. amazon remainders account.

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