Customer Reviews
New edition 
2005-06-06
An updated edition of this book has been out for a few years. I don't know why Amazon doesn't list it. You can get it from Educators Publishing Co.
What a pity this book is out of print! 
2005-05-11
I stumbled across this book by chance in my local library. What a gem! I can't give this book enough stars! What a pity it is out of print, I really wanted to buy a few copies and distribute it to every child educator I know!
I am not a teacher, but rather, I am a parent of a child who is "lazy", underachieving, not paying attention - you name it, you know the spiel. I was hoping to find some kind of clue as to what was going on in his mind - I did not expect to find a full scale map!
As I was reading the first few chapters about attention controls and alertness, I found myself going "aha" every two seconds. What he described fit perfectly with the behavior I see in my child, and now I have a more complete understanding of why he acts the way he does - always a plus for a parent.
This book was certainly not written for parents, that is obvious. It reads like a textbook, with mostly technical terms and concise explanations for each one. Even so, it is clearly written, and very easy to understand, if you invest the time to read it through slowly. He explained the problems with mental energy and efficiency (I know I am using the wrong words, but the book is not with me right now), so well, that I felt as if he was standing there looking right into my brain. And as if he had been standing there all through my school years. How else would he have known "exactly" what everyone said to me (parents and teachers), and "exactly" what I was feeling as I was sitting in class?
Not only did I find validation for behaviors and learning patterns which I have never understood, but I have also found a lot of tips, even for myself, in getting better organized. When I mean organized, I mean organizing the BRAIN. I was amazed at how much more efficient I could be, when I had previously thought that I was running at top efficiency (for me). Dr. Mel Levine does not offer "excuses" but rather, he explains what the problem is so that you have a point of reference as to where to start fixing it.
I have not yet finished the book, if you have seen it you will know why, but there is no question in my mind that this is THE book for every educator to have as a reference. I have so far read only the parts on attention and memory, but if I have given the impression that this book describes only ADD, I will have been giving a very wrong impression.
Dr. Levine does an impressive job in describing all kinds of learning problems, all kinds of hidden learning problems that are not obvious to parents and teachers, and how these hidden problems are impacting on a child doing the best that he/she can in school, and I guess, eventually in life.
He has written other books on learning problems, such as "The Myth of Laziness" and "A Different Kind of Mind", which are written in a more conversational style, and are directed towards parents, but I found this book more helpful in getting to the "core" of the problems, as opposed to "how my learning center can help" which is the theme of almost every book I have picked up on learning disabilites, etc.
There is one slight point that I disagree with him however. He talks about colleges accomodating themselves to different students learning styles. I have read educators complaining about his attitude in different Amazon reviews, and in this I feel he is going a little too far. Elementary schools have a mandate to educate each child that comes in throught their door, and to make them into human beings who leave knowing the basics of education. In this, I think that schools have an obligation to accomodate themselves to different students' learning styles. But colleges are different, and I think that a college has a right to accept a student who can show good test scores in whichever format they (the college) chooses to test in. For those students who cannot meet their criteria, there are other, less demanding colleges that will accept them. Because after all, if they cannot pass the entrance test, how will they pass the courses? Isn't that the point of the entrance examinations? But of course, that's just my rant.
This book was extremely helpful to me as a parent. My son's teacher kept telling me to get him tested, but I had no idea how to start as I saw that he is extremely bright, and could see no obvious reason for his scholastic failures. This book pinpointed exactly what his problem is, and I am now armed with the knowledge to further help my child. Knowledge is power, as they say. I have another child with language issues, and I have yet to read the chapters that deal with his problems, but I am confident that I will obtain an excellent understanding of his problems as well.
This is a beautiful, excellent, wonderful, book, that should ideally be in every educator's hands. Every school should implement the ideas presented in this book. (Of course they won't). I only wish that Dr. Levine would write another book, in this format, for parents, sort of "dumb it down" a little bit, so us parents can understand the child's problems without all the scientific jargon which makes it difficult reading. I know that he has written some other books, and I have read through them quickly, but I found the other books more anecdotal, without the clear and concise presentation that this book contains.
I also wish he would write a book about how learning problems affect ADULTS, and what they can do about it. I did find it pretty easy to convert the tips into "adult" tips, but of course, I would love to read a book that is directly written for adults with these learning problems. As strange as it may seem, I realized that a lot of adults have some of the poor learning strategies, only translated into adult behavior, and obviously, causing corresponding havoc and stress.
In any case, this book was wonderful, thank you, Dr. Levine!
Educational Care 2001-02-06
Educational Care, A System for Understanding and Helping Children With Learning Problems at Home and in School by Dr. Mel Levine is a book that all professionals in the field of education should be required to read.
As a special education teacher, the topics Dr. Levin presents are paramount to the education of all children. Today, with curriculum frameworks and standardized testing, general education teachers are being pushed and pulled in too many directions. Teachers in the general education setting have many diverse learners; teachers need the valuable information from this book to assist them in guiding/coaching the children in their charge. It is imperative, as the educational system moves forward and the bulk of students that were once serviced by specialist are now being instructed within the general education setting, that these students are provided with the tools that will assist them in learning and retaining information. Many general education teachers have minimal knowledge of the differentiated practices that can be implemented within their repertoire in educating students with diverse learning needs. Teachers whom have been in the general education setting for the past years have a wealth of knowledge, techniques, and strategies to service their low average, average, and gifted/talented learners. However for children that do no fall within these categories, general education teachers have not been instructed or equipped with strategies to help guide these students with specific learning deficits. Educational Care is an excellent resource for all educators to use to assist them in better developing their craft of teaching.
Educational Care presents a wealth of information regarding weak attention control, phenomena related to: reduced remembering, to chronic misunderstanding, deficient output, delay skill acquisition, and to poor adaptation. In addition, this book has chapters for the provision of education care, assessment and management, and implications and applications for the misinterpreted child. The Appendixes is a valuable resource for every teacher to peruse and use for those students whom could benefit from such helpful planners and organizers.
Educational Care gives tremendous assistance on both fronts:educational strategies in the classroom and strategies that the home caregiver can provide to assist children with learning problems.
This is a book that I will be lending to many colleagues in hopes that they too may learn how to help those students that are struggling in the educational/social setting.
