Mel Levine didn’t do well in elementary or grade school.  He had a sense of humor and made his classmates laugh. When his classmates came to his house to play he told his mother to tell them he wasn’t home.  He would rather play with his animals and play in his own mind.  His older brother got into Harvard and had Mel visit him on weekends. These visits excited Mel’s mind and he became an A student from then on.  Mel’s brother found the way in to help Mel learn. Mel graduated first in his class at Brown, became a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford, went to Harvard Medical School and is now the Director of the University of North Carolina Center for the Study of Development and Learning.  Mel is one of the leading figures in the world in the study of the different ways that people learn.  Mel doesn’t believe that one way or 5 ways or 10 ways fits all. There is a way to reach every child we just have to follow the clues.  Mel spurns labels like “Autism”, “Bipolar”,  “ADHD” and likes to visualize the child as they will be at 24.  Mel founded the All Kinds of Minds Institute and has changed the way we view learning, all because a kind older brother took the time to find the way in. We learn who Mel is and what he thinks of the world around him.

The divorce rate among parents with children with extra needs is reported to be 85% within the first five years of diagnosis. Mary McFarland nationally know Oakland California based Psychotherapist discusses these startling figures. We explore the possible reasons for this and actions that couples can take to reduce the chances of divorce.  Although this show focuses on parents with extra needs children it can apply to all parents.

Stan views the start of the school year