Dr. Mel Levine Accused of sexually abusing young boys
Sunday, March 22nd, 2009
Pediatrician Agrees to Stop Practicing After Abuse Charges
Dr. Melvin D. Levine, the North Carolina pediatrician who faces a lawsuit accusing him of molesting young boys during physical examinations, has signed a consent order agreeing that he will never again practice medicine in North Carolina or anywhere else.
Update, 2/19/11: Mel Levine has died. Causes unknown at this point.
Good riddance.
Sean: I think we have to be careful here. He’s just been accused, not convicted, and, even if he is guilty it doesn’t necessarily undermine his good ideas about dealing with learning issues in schools.
While I’ve never been a huge fan of the later, media massaged Mel Levine, his earlier books and lectures were right on the money to me.
I really must agree with the post above, yes it’s far to easy to say string him up, yes if he is found guilty then he should be but many lives and livelihoods have been torn apart by the media getting their facts wrong.
Give the man his day in court and then judge him on the result, not on the accusation.
Robin.
Amen Robin.
Dear readers,
Accusing Dr. mel Levine is just unfair. He changes the lives of millions of kids through out the world, now the same person who is doing his best to save kids is accused of this non sense? I am an Ethiopian who lives in Ethiopia . His book helps lots of kids. I want to thank him for saving our kids.
God bless you!
25 August 2009
Betty: There is no doubt that Mel Levine’s ideas and books are right on the money and have helped millions of people. That will be a fact whether or not these accusations about him are true.
But, it is possible for someone who has helped so many to have also hurt some, the two things can coexist.
I would venture to guess that none of those in support of Levine have had members of their own family suffer sexual abuse. Any person who deals with kids who have special needs know that they are the most vulnerable when it comes to abuse. If Levine was above board, he would have never taken young children into examining rooms without their parents. Additionally, doctors don’t willingly give up their right to practice if they’re innocent.
I do believe these accusations do taint the work that he has done. It’s the very victims that gave him the material to do his work. Should be overlook the priests who molested children because they also fed/clothed/guided those children?
Juliet: Be careful. Dr. Levine has been accused of sexual abuse, he has not been convicted that I know of. Here in the United States we consider people innocent until they are proven guilty.
I realize that the web makes virtual lynch mobs a lot easier to form but I would hate it if my post which was meant simply to inform the LD community became a gathering point for those who have already tried and convicted Dr. Levine in their minds.
That aside, I stand by my assertion that the work Dr. Levine has done, the books he’s written and the speeches he’s made have changed millions of lives for the better. Those lives won’t revert to some less than wonderful state if he’s convicted.
That’s not to diminish the seriousness of what he’s accused of, just to underscore the importance of the work he’s done. Those ideas stand on their own.
I support his work and I also support his presumption of innocence before trial as I would hope anyone would do for me if I were accused of a crime.
Richard: Huh? The guy gave up his license because 50 – count em- 50 victims who did not know each other – came forward with identical stories. Even the board of directors on the foudation that he created kicked him out because of the sex abuse. I have spoken to many pediatricians around this country, and they all say he’s guilty.
A doctor who is not guilty does not give up his license. He did so because he is terrified of all that is going to come out.
Really, you have to stop being in denial.
Sam: I’m not in denial at all. I just don’t think it’s fair or right or even legal to convict him before he’s had his day in court. And, he may very well be guilty and that would be a terrible shame, not only for his victims but because it will undermine all the great work he’s done over the years which will be thrown out because he did it.
His books and ideas have changed thousands of lives, whether or not he’s guilty.
Mel Levine is 69 years old and according to the NY Times, has not been practicing medicine for quite some time, so signing this consent will not have a big impact for him. Whether guility or not, I’m sure he is just trying to put this behind him as quickly as possilbe.
LEvine can’t put it behind him. There are a number of civil suits filed against him by the boys he molested. Have you any you READ any of the stories about what the boys said he did to them? My husband is a pediatrician and he like other pediatricians we know, say that Levine is guilty.
If you know anything about sex abuse, you will see that the majority of boys are so ashamed about the abuse that only a tiny fraction of them ever come forward.
Bravo to the boys who did. They are the heroes.
Mercy,
Personally I have no idea whether he’s guilty or not. Does the fact that your husband’s a pediatrician help him know if Dr. Levine’s guilty?
Sex abuse is a horrible crime.
I agree with Tami that his consenting to give up his medical practice sounds harsher than it really is.
Sandy said what I was about to say. The fact that your husband is a doctor has no bearing on his ability to know if Levine is guilty or not. And, in this country, we allow judges and juries to determine guilt, not lynch mobs from the sidelines.
The real issue for this particular web site is that Levine’s research and books continue to be some of the best around and if he’s found guilty it would be a shame if people associated his guilt with the legitimacy of the work that he and others did.
Sam: Posted on 16 Sep 2009 at 3:39 PM
“A doctor who is not guilty does not give up his license. He did so because he is terrified of all that is going to come out.”
While it is quite possible that Dr Levine your explanation is accurate, it is also quite possible that it is not. It is not reasonable to assume that only guilt could cause a doctor to give up his license. Possible other explanations? -concern for the institute’s reputation -peer pressure -wrongful accusations disillusioned him with the industry – court encouraged the action – to curry better negotiating stance -it’s a PR move on his part – lawyer recommendation to show good faith – sick of the drama -prefers authorship to medical practice so no incentive to continue w licensing -to protect his patients from being humiliated – to gain privacy ……
I have no opinion on Dr Levine’s guilt or innocence, but I do have an opinion on the way we all process and evaluate information. It is important to recognize that there are alternative possible explanations (at least I’d like to think all persons interested in LD issues would see that truth).
Be careful of believing there is only one right answer, and be very, very careful of believing that you are the one who knows that answer. Even if you are factually correct, basing your opinion on partial or faulty information makes you wrong.
Amen Sue.
The other issue which should not be overlooked is whether Mel Levine is guilty or innocent the information he provided during the years he was speaking, writing, and consulting has helped thousands and maybe millions of people. He certainly helped me by shedding new light on the overuse of both drugs and labels.
Well-said Sue.
Dear Richard, Please you have to be care full when it comes to a person who made differences like Dr.Mel Levine. As long as he is not convicted, I believe that he is an innocent victim of the media.One day the truth will come out.
Betty: That’s exactly what I’ve been saying in this comment thread. Have you read my comments?
Something inappropriate happened.. another sick adult who has taken advantage of a child….if it was one maybe even two but fifty…another suited up weirdo
.Side bar—i think his theories are right on point with special need chidren and been a fan of his philosophy since he was on Oprah.
Tia: Something inappropriate MAY have happened. We don’t know what happened.
I met Mel Levine numerous times at conferences as a co-presenter, long before he was underwritten by Schwab and discovered by Oprah. His ideas were ahead of their time back then and they continue to be important to this day.
Um, sorry, the New York Times reported that the North Carolina Medical Board had plenty of evidence against him, and that’s why they forced him to surrender his medical license and can never practice medicine anywhere in the world ever again.
Do any of you defenders of him here ever stop to think about one for minute what he put his victims through?
Additionally, it is indeed a harsh sentence for Levine that he can no longer practice medicine.
The Board of Directors of the Foundation that he founded kicked him out two years ago because of the sex abuse scandal.
Methinks Levine might be posting here. Have any of you read the Boston Globe articles?
Do any of you know about the other cases of doctors molesting children around the country -the twin pediatricians Mark and Scott Blankenburg, or Earl Bradley, Miguel Frontera and Dr. William Ayres?
If any of you had even read the stories you would see that the North Carolina Medical Board had evidence of the abuse and that’s why they forced him to stop practicing.
And he hadn’t stopped working as a doctor either. And he was still teaching.
Shame on you for defending him. There’s something very cold and dispassionate about your posts, which makes many of us think that you could be Levine yourself.
Also, Levine was just disciplined by the North Carolina Medical Board for stating that he had given seminars at places where he never gave them at all. And now, his website has been shut down.
Gilliam and Johnson: Mel Levine isn’t posting here and if he were, I’d allow it.
I don’t think either of you have any clue about what Mel Levine did for the learning disabilities community. Whether he’s guilty or not, his books and work will continue to be used by special educators for many years to come.
I’m not defending him, I’m defending his work which remains excellent.
To toss out his work because of this would be a huge loss.
Hey Richard, first of all glad to see you are alive and well and happily blogging away! I was reminded of you when I came across a little piece on learning English and in seeing some old camera links too.
(Wanted to ask if I could post your paragraph on the many ways “ou” presents to our language, phonetically! Write me if that’s good.)
Not to be totally OT (as I am) – I’ve been working forever w/LD and for decades have had colleagues genuflect at the ideas of the mild (?) goose farmer turned pediatrician turned educational psychologist. I’m with you, his early books were golden, and I eventually ended up at times adopting the goal of “demystifying” one’s strengths and weaknesses, abilities, disabilities. Haven’t heard his name much since I mentioned his great ideas to a parent who replied, yeah, right, he’s great, but have you heard…. I hadn’t. See it’s still “in the news” right here! Regards Richard!
PS Just checked, and the AKOM website is in fact *up*.
Hi Mike, nice to hear from you again. What’s fascinating about the Mel Levine story is that many of the people who are following his legal troubles have no clue about the important work that he did.
I’m not sure which paragraph I wrote you’re referring to but you’re always welcome to use anything of mine as long as you cite me. Best to you.
To all:
IF (gotta go with the ole “innocent till proven guilty” assumption) he’s guilty of abusing children then it’s a tragedy of mammoth size. A doctor no less, scarring children in that way is beyond horrible.
Still, gotta go with the “assumption of innocence” till a trial. It’s really easy to assign guilt based on what we read in articles and such but I know that that’s no basis for conviction, just yet.
His guilt or innocence however is not what’s being debated in this thread. it’s vitally important to all those concerned of course; but the issue of his volume of work is what’s at play also.
His essential work of increasing awareness of the “neurological variance” and his demystification of learning disabilities as well as his attempts to create common vocabulary when talking/describing kids with learning struggles is/was monumental.
The ways in which this work became an all too easy bandwagon for some schools to jump on was also noteworthy. It got too easy for schools to use becoming “attuned” and certified in that way, as frankly a smokescreen behind which there was sometimes very little.
That’s a whole other subject.
I agree with everything you say Sandy, including the fascinating issue of schools using his “brand” to latch on to. Those very same schools have cut all ties with him and his brand even though the work they supported and the training they received had nothing to do with what Dr. Levine is accused of.
As you know all too well, I argued in this thread:
www.ldresources.org/2005/09/25/sanford-shapiro-looks-at-the-forman-school/
that relying on a connection with Mel Levine’s All Kinds of Minds to prove worth by association is a mistake, no matter what one thinks of the work. Every school uses his work differently and that’s good. To put a brand on the association was a problem and of course, those very schools will say they’ve never heard of him now.
That means they were just in it for the marketing, not the ideas because the ideas still stand, they’re still excellent ideas.
It was a mess before Levine was accused of anything, maybe the beginning of it was Schwab and Oprah turning him into a celebrity.
The work stands, even if the man is found guilty. What a simplistic society we live in if we toss the work because of the man’s personal issues.
Great discussion. The aspect of how quickly/thoughtfully schools and principals etc. backed away from their book-cases full of Dr. Mel insights is indeed interesting in itself, and I agree that his ideas shouldn’t be “contaminated” by his (alleged) behaviors. Though if truly doing horrific things, of course, that’s not so easily or properly done.
Off-topic but don’t know where else to put this (and I’m going away so the computer and these tabs will close) – HERE is the little gem hanging on my wall 10-15 years, relating to the toughness of the English language, both for Americans w/LD and as a 2nd language. So short I’ll repeat it. Happy to attribute (on my wall I typed this and noted “courtesy of Richard @LD Resources.com) -
<>
Great example still – but at long last I’ve moved offices and cleared the walls! So up online it may go, food for thOUght. Happy Holidays!
[re-posting- quote got lost when I double bracketed it!]
Great discussion. The aspect of how quickly/thoughtfully schools and principals etc. backed away from their book-cases full of Dr. Mel insights is indeed interesting in itself, and I agree that his ideas shouldn’t be “contaminated” by his (alleged) behaviors. Though if truly doing horrific things, of course, that’s not so easily or properly done.
Off-topic but don’t know where else to put this (and I’m going away so the computer and these tabs will close) – HERE is the little gem hanging on my wall 10-15 years, relating to the toughness of the English language, both for Americans w/LD and as a 2nd language. So short I’ll repeat it. Happy to attribute (on my wall I typed this and noted “courtesy of Richard @LD Resources.com) -
~~~
The combination “ough” can be pronounced in nine different ways. The following sentence contains them all: “A rough-coated, dough-faced, thoughtful ploughman strode through the streets of Scarborough; after falling into a slough, he coughed and hiccoughed”.
~~~
Great example still – but at long last I’ve moved offices and cleared the walls! So up online it may go, food for thOUght. Happy Holidays!
I am a mother in desperate need of Dr. Lavine’s help… please tell me that he can still offer me help and guidance! His desire to help these children make it very hard for me to believe he would do the things he is being acused of. If anyone knows how I may contact him please post.
Years ago I watched a show on PBS where Dr. Mel Levine showed how important it is that we encourage our children’s innate talents and how learning differences rob a child’s self-esteem. If left untreated, children can end up in jail. I was fascinated as a mother of young children. I believe his work has helped many, many children and their parents to gain piece of mind and to save these children from not fulfilling their potential.
I also believe that people can do great things and do horrible things at the same time. I hope he is innocent for his sake and the children he allegedly abused, but it would seem unlikely since so many children have come forward. I choose to let the courts decide his guilt. I know that I am not smart enough to wade through the media hype, political posturing, and vast array of opinions to get to the truth.
An immediate family member was falsely accused of a crime (not child abuse) and I saw the devastating effects on my family that lasted decades. Another immediate family member was molested, which was devastating in a very different way. I can’t judge which was more devastating, and neither would have happened in an ideal world.
I think the point some people are making is that one can respect the work of a great mind while understanding that that same great mind may have abused children. I also believe that these same people are trying to say that they are not defending a man by saying he should have his day in court no matter how damaging the allegations are.
It doesn’t have to be an us against them situation.
I hope you get the help you need for your child Christine!
Well said Josie.
Josie, wow. You painted most all sides of that picture. Thanks for your intelligent and compassionate post.
This is the first time I’m hearing of this; I live in another country, and it takes a while for news (of this sort) to get here.
I don’t know whether he’s guilty or not – but it would do us well to remember the sheer number of geniuses and/or leaders who were either mentally unstable, adulterers, child molesters (Nabakov anyone?), or otherwise completely messed up personalities.
Every day, whether you realize it or not, you use products based on their ideas and inventions. At what point do you draw the line?
It is unfortunate that today D. Mel Levine died. He was a friend and a brilliant person. I have known him for 21 years.
Thanks for the update Jan.
The case against Dr. Levine was dismissed because it was obvious the original person who complained was trying to blackmail Levine for money. Had he not been a successful author, it never would have happened. The attorney was just looking for easy cash. When that blew up in their face, they started the class action suit to try and extort money from the poor man. People will say anything these days if they see a possible paycheck. I hope they go after that unscrupulous attorney for trying to ruin this man’s life with false accusations.
Dr. Levine will be missed. I hope his work will live on. I will always remember him for how he helped so many children and not for the allegations that ruined such an outstanding reputation.
Dr. Mel Levine restored sanity to my home. He worked with my son for years-never was my son examined without a nurse or myself being present. Dr. Mel informed us of his decision to retire 9 to 12 months before there was ever a hint of trouble. We got great advice and guidance as to how to proceed. Doctors before Dr. Mel told me to be aware that my son may not graduate from high school because of his disabilities. Under Dr. Mel’s guidance, my son graduated from high school, community college and is now a practicing mechanic. Mel saw things in my son that even I, as his mother, had difficulty seeing. Rest in peace as the good far out weighs the bad.
Thank you so much urchin123, this is exactly the kind of testimony both Sanford and I know is out there. Mel Levine helped thousands of people all over the world and hopefully his work will be considered no matter what happens with this case. Again, thank you, your comment really made my day (and it’s a pretty good day already).
Dr. Levine helped me become a better educator. I now strive to know students excellently, and strive for authentic success for all kinds of hearts and minds.
Thanks for posting that Tim. I know he helped a lot of people. Let’s remember the good in him if we can.
Huh? Think of his VICTIMS- the ones with ruined lives, who have themselves committed suicide.
To me remembering the good in Levine is like saying Hitler was good with animals.
Are any of his defenders here really WILLING to look at what he did? According to the Boston Globe- he performed oral sex on a seven year old boy during an examination.
How can any of you defend this monster?
Um, Maureen who said the “case was dismissed” is dead wrong. Levine had already settled SIX molestation lawsuits before he committed suicide.
The statute of limitations had run out in North Carolina for the police to charge him with a crime. And are you not forgetting that Levine was FORCED to surrender his medical license because the North Carolina Medical Board had evidence from a dozen boys that he had molested them?
Josh,
I don’t think anyone is defending the abuse he’s been accused of.
It does appear to be true from the articles I’ve read, that some suits were dismissed for lack of evidence. It may also be true that some cases have as you say, been settled. Were they “out of court” settlements?
He may indeed be guilty of despicable crimes against children.
The point is, to make matters worse, he died before he stood trial. Maybe there will still be a way to prove (or disprove) the allegations. I certainly hope so.
Another irrefutable fact, that which is really difficult to swallow or even hear for some, is that he has helped many people, children and professionals in the field. That may be abhorrent to you, but true nonetheless.
As the mother of a dyslexic child and someone who has read numerous great books by amazing authors on the subject of dyslexia (Shaywitz and many others), only after a year of informal yet intensive research on the subject have I even heard of Mel Levine. As an attorney who is friend to a number of victims of child sexual abuse, I am simply floored by the discussion that I have read on this blog. 40 to 50 people could not possibly have come forward as some kind of fluke or as an attempt to extort money. I believe strongly in the concept of innocent until proven guilty (and it certainly is not my place to judge the man), but come on! And, how could anything that Dr. Levine (one of many who have contributed to the field) justify inappropriately touching even one child. And, I wonder if somehow there is a sense among some who seek to defend him that the allegations are more easily forgiven because his victims were vulnerable souls who received assistance that they would not have received absent their exposure to him.
Maite: I think you misunderstand the discussion so take a breath and read carefully.
I doubt anyone here, including me, is defending the sexual abuse Mel Levine is acused of, what we are attempting to do is to parse out his work in the area of learning disabilities so that it isn’t destroyed as people revise their opinions of him personally.
His work stands on its own as some of the best in the field and it has changed many lives.
And, yes, beyond that, I personally find it difficult to play jury in the sexual abuse case because it never or hasn’t gone to trial. These days it’s easy to be part of a virtual lynch mob and I think we all have to be careful about that.
If Levine is found guilty of sexual abuse and he were alive then he’d go to prison and I’d support that. Still, I would not then burn his books or even stop recommending them to parents looking for clear-headed advise on how to deal with their children with learning issues.
PS Maite: Mel Levine started All Kinds of Minds, has sold millions of books even before he was on Oprah, and was one of the leading voices in the world of learning disabilities for a decade. I’m surprised you’ve not heard more about his work which is still some of the best in the business.
Sally Shaywitz has been on numerous panels with him and has supported his work as well. He was one of the most popular speakers and writers in the learning disabilities community for years.
Maite,
There’s not much I can add to what Richard’s already said.
No one that I can see or hear is using Mel Levine’s prolific contributions to the field of learning, to be in any way, a justification for anything other than suggesting that his work in the field is valuable and in some ways arguably groundbreaking.
However, I get it. If you picture and believe that this man was guilty of child sexual abuse, it’s nearly impossible for most people to have an objective appreciation of anything he may have written. I get that.
I also get the tendency to think, “Hmm, if 50 people come forward and make similar allegations, then he must be guilty.” That doesn’t make that right. It is what it is. This is a highly charged, extremely emotional issue.
I’m surprised that you as an attorney could toss presumed innocence aside. Where do you begin to make that shift? Does it happen after two similar allegations? Five? I get it. It’s an emotional ethical quagmire. That’s why we’re a nation built on law.
I hate the idea that anyone could take such horrible advantage of children. Children are defenseless. That’s a different topic for a different blog. No one is debating that.
I am just now learning tonight of Dr. Levine’s suicide and of the sexual abuse allegations against him. Over the last 20 years, I benefitted personally from listening to his lectures and reading his books. I too hope his work will stand.
If he did sexually abuse some of his patients, my hope is that they will receive the support they need as they begin or continue on their journey of healing.
Thanks for weighing in Grandma Lise.
Now age 80, I have always had an interest in why my neurodevelopment lagged so far behind. It was only after reading Mel’s three books that I understood the multiple forces determining my development between 1930-1948 and even after. It wasn’t just the genetic factors, my temperament or physical health, but the other five profile factors which he did not serve me well which he outlines. At best, I entered adulthood later than most with only three neurodevelopent systems to serve me, (i.e.) motor, spatial and sequential. My parents had only eighth grade educations. Boys such as me were expected to follow their father’s farm vocations. Yet that wasn’t my interest, and I didn’t find my niche until I started building homes. May I also say that, a doctor of pediatrics could have identified my slow maturity as a adolescent and teen as being part of my problem which would have been obvious by the kinds of examinations pediatricians did in the mid to late 1900s. I also have researched the protocol in examinating by doctors of patients and note that it wasn’t until 1991 that the N.C. Medical Board “strongly urged”, and later that it was recommended that a chaperone be available at all times and that they should make patients aware, either verbally or with signs, that they could request one.was adopted by the American Medical Association’s Code of Medical Ethics, and adopted in 1998….. It is interesting that even the family dentist of my four daughters, never accepted us as parents being in the dentist treatment area, because it was hard to treat children with a parents present. That didn’t suggest that the dentist was a pedophile or his procedures were abusive……What I am suggesting is, that the protocol for a visual and/or hands on male examination has changed during the time of Levine’s practicing medicine – 1966 until 1991/1998 and this should be taken into account, both from a chaperone and examination of “disorders of sex development” as it relates to learning neurodevelopment as pointed out by Dr. Edwin Sumpter, a retired pediatrician who lives in Raleigh, who said “A child’s sexual development can be linked to psychological disorders.”
And I suggest one read John Medina’s book, “Brain Rules”, Rule #6, p.128,129. “The reason is that the passage of time inexorably leads to a weakening of events and facts that were once clear and chock-full of specifics. In an attempt to fill in missing gaps, the brain is forced to rely on partial fragments, inferences, outright guesswork , and often (most disturbingly) other memories not related to the actual event. It is truly reconstruction in nature, much like a detective with a sli0ppery imagination.”
Thanks for your perspective and information Jimmy.