It was not unusual to find Dr. Larry B. Silver on the floor, eye to eye with a child who was struggling — listening closely, asking gentle questions and, just as often, making them laugh. For Silver, one of the nation’s pioneering child psychiatrists, connection came before diagnosis, a philosophy rooted as much in his clinical training as in a Jewish outlook that emphasized understanding each individual.
Silver, a Washington-area resident for most of his life and a leading voice in child and adolescent psychiatry, died on April 7 at 92. Over a career spanning more than five decades, he helped transform how families, schools and physicians understand children with learning disabilities and ADHD.
“He really believed in taking care of other people,” said his daughter, Caren Shein. “That was just part of who he was — it came from how he was raised.”
Born in Washington, D.C., to Abraham and Ida Silver, he grew up in a large extended family where education, responsibility to others and close family ties were central. Those values, his daughters said, shaped both his professional work and his sense of Jewish identity.
He attended Eastern High School and George Washington University before earning his medical degree from Howard University College of Medicine. In 1957, he married Clara Meyerovitch, beginning a partnership that would last nearly seven decades and form the foundation of a close-knit family.
Silver’s career included some of the most influential roles in American mental health. He held senior academic and clinical leadership roles at the Robert Wood Johnson School of Medicine at Rutgers University. He served as acting director and deputy director of the National Institute of Mental Health, and later as professor of psychiatry and pediatrics and chief of the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Georgetown University School of Medicine, where he directed the training program in child and adolescent psychiatry.
But his daughters said his greatest impact was felt not in titles, but in the children and families he helped.
“He believed every child could succeed if you understood how they learned,” said his daughter, Caren Shein. “He never saw a child as a problem — he saw them as someone who needed to be understood.”
At a time when ADHD and learning disabilities were poorly understood — and often stigmatized — Silver became a leading advocate for children who were labeled difficult or dismissed outright. He worked closely with families navigating school systems that were often unequipped to meet their children’s needs, helping them find both language and strategies.
His landmark book, “The Misunderstood Child: Understanding and Coping with Your Child’s Learning Disabilities,” became a widely used resource for parents, educators and clinicians. Across more than 150 publications, he helped bring clarity and compassion to a field that had long lacked both.
His daughters said his work reflected a deeply held moral outlook shaped in part by Jewish values — particularly the importance of recognizing each person’s dignity and potential.
“He approached every child with respect,” said his daughter, Dana Silver. “He believed there was always something there to build on.”
That same perspective shaped his teaching. At Georgetown and elsewhere, Silver trained generations of psychiatrists, emphasizing not only clinical expertise but patience, attentiveness and respect for children and their families.
Yet those closest to him said his professional accomplishments told only part of the story.
To his family, he was “the heart of everything,” someone who brought warmth, humor and a sense of play into daily life. He was known for his ability to connect with children of all ages — not only as a physician, but as a father, grandfather and uncle.
“He would get down on the floor and just be with them,” Shein said. “He didn’t talk at children — he met them where they were.”
He would spend hours playing with his own children and later his grandchildren, nieces and nephews, fully engaged and present. That same attentiveness defined him at home as much as in his office.
“He never lost the childlike part of himself,” Shein said. “That’s what made him such an incredible doctor, but also such an incredible father and grandfather.”
His daughters said his marriage to Clara Silver created a home defined by balance — her grounded nature complementing his playfulness — and a shared commitment to family.
In later years, Silver remained intellectually engaged, continuing to write, mentor and reflect on the field he helped shape. As awareness of ADHD and learning differences grew, his early work continued to guide how families and clinicians approached care.
Those who knew him said his legacy extends far beyond his publications or professional roles.
His impact was felt by the families who felt heard after being dismissed, by the children who came to better understand themselves and by the physicians he trained.
Above all, it lives in the family he built and the example he set.
“He brought so much joy and understanding into people’s lives,” Dana Silver said. “That’s what people will remember.”
Ellen Braunstein is a freelance obituary writer. She welcomes suggestions for individuals who had meaningful ties to the greater Washington Jewish community. Email [email protected].
Thank you for a wonderful memory of a kind, thoughtful, and loving man who brought so much meaning and joy to all our lives.