The Myth of Laziness
by Mel Levine

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Book Reviews of The Myth of Laziness

Book Review: You can't go faster if the motor's wired wrong
Summary: 5 Stars

Levine argues that most people want to learn and succeed in their lives. What holds them back often is the way their brains are wired. (Okay, he's a lot more scientific.)

I can personally relate to some of his examples. I've always had trouble controlling pieces of paper and my desk always looks as though I'd dumped a wastebasket upside down. Throughout my life people have sighed, "You've got to get organized!" Yet I've learned to accomplish a lot by compensating -- once I realized it was a cognitive deficit.

And, as Levine points out, adults have an easier time than children. We don't have to excel in so many different areas.

Levine acknowledges his own quirks. Don't give me anything you want back, he says, and if you want me to sign something, stand there till you get my signature! I can relate to those too.

The lesson is that nearly everyone has strengths as well as functional deficits. If a child doesn't have the coordination for basketball or baseball, he or she can try another sport, like weight-lifting or wrestling.

Levine presents knowledge in the form of case studies, which are both educational and easy to follow. He's honest: there are few Cinderella stories and happy endings. That's the part of the book that's most difficult to deal with. His center provides some of the best testing and counseling in the world, yet not everyone will be responsive. It's not enough to receive a diagnosis: you also need a supportive environment, especially if you're a child.

I didn't care for Levine's chapter on "what might have happened."
I'd rather have seen composite cases or cases with details disguised, with stories of "real" endings. And people need to be aware of non-psychiatric settings that allow people to make progress. I've taken well-designed, non-competitive exercise classes that helped everyone's coordination -- including some who could barely shuffle into the class when they started.

However, Levine deserves credit for not succumbing to the simplicities of the self-help genre. You won't find self-diagnostic tests or "ten things you can do..." here. He's
drawn the line in the sand: he's writing as a physician and scientist.

Perhaps the greatest contribution of this book will be to alert teachers, managers, parents and everyone to the great variety of learning skills and the possibility for cognitive deficits. Too many children are ridiculed and even punished for "laziness" and worse, and even adults can be hassled by ignorant bosses, spouses and friends.

Summary of The Myth of Laziness

Almost no one is actually lazy, says Dr. Mel Levine, author of the #1 national bestseller A Mind at a Time. Low productivity -- whether in school or on the job -- is almost always caused by a genuine problem, a neuro-developmental dysfunction. Despite this, untold numbers of people have been stigmatized by unfair accusations of laziness, many of them adults who still carry emotional scars from their school days.

In The Myth of Laziness Dr. Levine shows how we can spot the neurodevelopmental dysfunctions that may cause "output failure," as he calls it, whether in school or in the workplace. Dr. Levine identifies seven forms of dysfunction that obstruct output. Drawing on his years of clinical experience he describes eight people -- children, adolescents, and adults -- he has worked with who exhibited one or another of these problems. He shows how identifying the problem can make all the difference, leading to a course of corrective action rather than to accusations of laziness and moral failure. For example, a child who is unable to plan or to think ahead, who cannot consider different methods of accomplishing something or has difficulty making choices may wait until it is too late to complete an assignment or may act impulsively, creating a pattern of bad judgments and careless errors. Dr. Levine explains how such a child can be helped to learn how to plan ahead and weigh various alternatives. This sort of problem, if untreated, can persist into adulthood, where it can wreak far more havoc than in the classroom.

The Myth of Laziness explains the significance of writing as a key barometer of productivity during the school years. Because writing brings together so many neurodevelopmental functions -- such as memory, motor control, organization, and verbalization of ideas -- it can provide crucial clues to pinpoint the sources of output failure.

With its practical advice and its compassionate tone, The Myth of Laziness shows parents how to nurture their children's strengths and improve their classroom productivity. Most important, it shows how correcting these problems in childhood will help children live a fulfilling and productive adult life.

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

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