The Orchid and the Dandelion: Why Sensitive People Struggle and How All Can Thrive

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"The Orchid and the Dandelion is based on groundbreaking research that has the power to change the lives of countless children - and the adults who love them." Susan Cain, New York Times bestselling author of Quiet Why do some people succeed and others struggle Why are some people's lives filled with satisfaction and happiness and others with frustration and despair Why do some people die young, while others live into healthy old age Is it simply chance and luck, or are there early patterns of development revealing potentially determinative pathways into bounty or calamity In The Orchid and the Dandelion, Dr W. Thomas Boyce - one of the world's foremost researchers in the field of paediatric health - presents findings that children have two very different responses to their environments. While some children are like dandelions and can thrive in almost any environment, there are others who, like orchids, are much more reactive and susceptible to their surroundings. Now we finally have a scientific framework to understand people, know how to address their unique needs and help them find their fullest potential. This groundbreaking book draws on extensive research, examples and real stories that will re-frame how we think about orchid and dandelion children and the adults those children have become. PRAISE FOR THE ORCHID AND THE DANDELION "There is an extensive audience of parents and teachers whose lives will be touched by this book. The wellbeing of their children and their students will reap enormous benefits from what Tom Boyce can teach us all about the valleys and the mountaintops of child development" Jack P. Shonkoff M.D., Director, Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University; Professor of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School and Boston Children's Hospital "It's a must read for all parents, teachers, and psychologists!" John M. Gottmann, Ph.D., New York Times bestselling author of Raising an Emotionally Intelligent Child "A true gift to parents and teachers globally" Elissa S. Epel, Ph.D., Department of Psychiatry, UCSF

Reviews

This is a necessary and important book. -- Philippa Perry * Guardian *
Groundbreaking research that has the power to change the lives of countless childrenand the adults who love them. -- Susan Cain, New York Times bestselling author of Quiet
This is the first parenting book I've read in a while that is based on common sense and science. It made me step back and look at each of my four children through different eyes. It is a powerful, groundbreaking read. And if you do have an orchid, it will help you parent them through even the hardest of times. -- Lorraine Candy, Sunday Times Magazine
A book for parents bewildered by their impossibly spirited children, for teachers interested in understanding the range of children in their care, for psychologists wanting insights into individual differences, and for students of the human condition everywhere. . . The Orchid and the Dandelion absorbed me like a novel. -- Psychology Today
A skilled pediatrician, a gifted scientist, and a lucid writer. He has a deep understanding of the orchid child and its underlying biology, and he has a compelling story to tell. There is an extensive audience of parents and teachers whose lives will be touched by this book. The well-being of their children and their students will reap enormous benefits from what Tom Boyce can teach us all about the valleys and the mountaintops of child development -- Jack P. Shonkoff M.D., Director, Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University; Professor of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School and Boston Childrens Hospital
Its a must read for all parents, teachers, and psychologists! -- John M. Gottmann, Ph.D., New York Times bestselling author of Raising an Emotionally Intelligent Child
A true gift to parents and teachers globally -- Elissa S. Epel, Ph.D., Department of Psychiatry, UCSF

Author Bio

Dr W. Thomas Boyce is professor of Pediatrics and Psychiatry and heads the Division of Developmental Behavioral Pediatrics at the University of California, San Francisco. He is also co-director of the Child and Brain Development Program of the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research and a member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies. Dr Boyce's research addresses the interplay among neurobiological and psychosocial factors leading to differences in childhood health and disease. He frequently gives talks on his groundbreaking work. He is the parent of two wonderful adult children, one orchid and one dandelion. He is also an avid sailor who likes to tie sailing knots and untie scientific ones.