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In the following interview, Dr. Mel Levine, co-founder of
All Kinds of Minds, answers some of the most commonly asked questions about the
Institute as well as his approach to children with learning differences.
All Kinds of Minds is the non-profit institute we founded
with the support of several foundations and individuals. The role of the
Institute is to help families, educators, and clinicians understand why a child
is struggling in school and to provide practical strategies that help every
child to be a more successful learner.
The approaches we use are based on a model of the learning process I've developed over more than 30 years of research and clinical practice. The model emphasizes that different kids have different ways of learning and succeeding in life.
Kids who experience difficulties in school as a result of the unique strengths and weaknesses of their minds comprise a much larger portion of the population than parents, schools, and clinicians generally recognize. They also present a broad range of issues that can be hard to address. But, if the issues aren't addressed, they can have serious consequences for kids - consequences that can last a lifetime. That's why All Kinds of Minds is dedicated to changing the lives of kids for the better.
We make it easier for parents, teachers, clinicians, and kids to work together. To do so, we provide them all with a common language, as well as evaluation, management, and implementation tools, so they can understand and help kids learn.
The developmental view focuses on the fact that, as children grow and change over time, sooner or later most will face a learning situation which they are not wired for. I believe this perspective on learning is critical to understanding and nurturing a child's mind. The expectation that kids will be good at everything all through their time in school can make it very tough for kids.
When a student experiences a breakdown in learning it's important to pinpoint where that breakdown is occurring. To do that, we work with teachers, parents, clinicians, and students to create what we call a "neurodevelopmental profile" of a student who is falling behind. That is, we look carefully at each of the functions of the brain that can affect the ways a student learns and performs. Based on this profile, we develop a plan to help the child succeed in school. This provides an in-depth insight that traditional labels lack.
In later adult life, the strength of each person's strengths and not the weakness of her weaknesses will be what really counts. It should really be the same for kids. Helping a kid get better at what she is good at can help her work through or around any weakness she may have. You can use her strengths to improve her weaknesses.
Far too many kids have been told they "will never amount to anything" because of their learning difficulties. To prevent that kind of prophecy from coming true, parents, teachers, and clinicians must help kids with differences in learning understand that their future is as bright as any other child's.
Every student can benefit from a greater understanding of his own strengths and weaknesses along with a plan for optimizing learning and performance. Helping parents, teachers, and students appreciate learning differences is the first step. Helping them celebrate the differences is the goal.
 Read About How All Kinds of Minds Began
Read A Message from Dr. Levine
Read Dr. Levine's Biography
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