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 reallife 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 daytoday strategies and support to prevent output failure and when necessary to help children overcome dysfunction and become productive successful adults.

Mel Levine M.

D.

is professor of pediatrics at the University of North Carolina Medical School and director of its Clinical Center for the Study of Development and Learning.

He is the founder and cochairman of All Kinds of Minds a nonprofit institute for the understanding of differences in learning.

The author of the national bestseller A Mind at a Time he lives in the RaleighDurham area with his wife Bambi and many farm animals.