The Orchid and the Dandelion

One of the world's foremost pediatric researchers offers hope for parents, teachers, and psychologists coping with "difficult" children, through his revolutionary discovery about how to help all children find happiness and success.

W. Thomas Boyce's extraordinary parenting book explores the "dandelion" child (hardy, resilient, healthy), able to survive and flourish under most circumstances, and the "orchid" child (sensitive, susceptible, fragile), who, given the right support, can thrive as much as, if not more than, other children. Boyce writes of his pathfinding research working with troubled children for almost four decades, and explores his major discovery that reveals how genetic make-up and environment shape behavior. He writes that certain variant genes can increase susceptibility to depression, anxiety, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and antisocial, sociopathic, or violent behaviors. But rather than seeing this "risk" gene as a liability, Boyce shows that while these "bad" genes can create problems, they can also, in the right setting and the right environment, result in children who far exceed their peers. Orchid children, Boyce makes clear, are not failed dandelions; they are a different category of child, with special sensitivities and special strengths, and need to be nurtured and taught in particular ways.