"In reading Dr. Selznick's book, I thought for a minute he was writing my biography! I was one of those shut down learners who was called lazy almost every day. I was a child who believed I was just not very bright, and I believed that for the first 30 years of my life. And like the rest of us, I was filled with shame and self-loathing. If this book had been available to my teachers and my parents back then, how much suffering could have been avoided. If your child is doing poorly in school, imagine how much suffering can still be avoided. This book is clear, informative and without jargon. But more important, in today's world of diagnose it and medicate it, Dr. Selznick humanizes very real children with very real problems." --Daniel Gottlieb, Ph.D., clinical psychologist, family therapist, host of "Voices in the Family" radio show, author of Learning from the Heart
"Dr. Selznick not only challenges parents to gain a better understanding of their children, but also challenges the schools to understand how these children shut down. While wholesale revamping of curriculum is not being suggested, small changes can be easily accomplished. Children can be mentored. They can be encouraged. Teachers play a central role in altering the child's negative belief patterns. The key is on relationship building. This does not cost money, but it takes time. As Dr. Selznick pointed out, sometimes taking a child for a walk or sharing a soda will long be remembered. Just conveying to the child that he/she is valued is enormously important on so many levels." --William G Sharrar, M.D., Chief of Pediatrics, Cooper University Hospital
"Dr. Richard Selznick is the rare academician who speaks the language of parents and is able to make learning and developmental theory readable. He has the gift to turn theory into practice and to offer parents hope where there was hopelessness and frustration." --John Kellmayer Ed.D., Superintendent, Brooklawn Public School District
"I always knew I had certain talents and gifts, but up until I read this book, none of my feelings about school made sense to me. The revelation was that the book validated my brand of thinking, which is something that had never had happened before." --Patrick Flanigan, photographer and former shut-down learner
"I am reading a wonderful book, The Shut Down Learner, Helping your Academically Discouraged Child, by Dr. Richard Selznick," and I think every school district, principal and teacher should make it required reading. It is all about identifying young children who might show signs of becoming "shut-down learners" and also helping children all the way up to high school or as adults who may have found that they finally did shut down and how to rebound from that.
The opening dedication to the book sold me before I started reading it. The author dedicated it to his father who "would never let a child shut down on his watch," and he complimented his father with these words: "no one understood the art of developing a child's self-esteem better than he did." I now strive to live up to those words and hope to give that gift to my own children and the children I teach.
This is not about stroking children's egos and never allowing them to struggle. It is about identifying strengths to build upon, including finding strength to develop skills that do not come easily. My column is not long enough for me to lay out an education plan here, but start with the book and get back to me. Once I started reading it, I could not put it down, and I am sure you will feel the same." --Carol Veravanich, The Orange County Register
Dr. Selznick is a psychologist, a nationally certified school psychologist, and a graduate school professor. As the Director of the Cooper Learning Center at Cooper University Hospital, he oversees a program that assesses and treats a broad range of learning and behavioral problems in children. The Cooper Learning Center is the leading program in its region, offering not only assistance with children, but also parent and teacher training programs.
Dr. Selznick also functions as a school consultant, and throughout the year he speaks to numerous parent groups, schools, and regional conferences on topics such as dyslexia, bullying, and ADHD. He strives to offer parents and teachers practical strategies to help children with academic problems. A native of New York, Dr. Selznick lives in Haddonfield, New Jersey.
