Dominance and Lateralization

Understanding dominance and lateralization can guide us to the best approach when working with children suffering from neurobehavioral disorders.


*4 easy tests to determine the dominant hemisphere.
Hand- Throw a small ball and ask the child to catch it and throw it back with one hand.
Foot- Place a small ball on the ground and ask the child to kick it.
Eye- Create a telescope with a used paper towel roll. Hand it to the child at mid line of the waist and instruct the child to take the telescope with both hands and look into it. If you want you can check whether the child uses a different eye when looking through the telescope at a near or far object.
Ear- Tell the child that you heard some noise on the other side of the door and him to listen at the door and see if he hears it.
For each dominance tested, record the dominant side.


Mixed dominance (not having some or all dominance on the right) may be a sign of developmental delay or brain disorganization. Up until 7 years old, the mixed dominance may resolve with proper care and brain balancing protocol. After 7 years old, the mixed dominance pattern is usually fixed. Each mixed dominance has a pattern of strengths and weaknesses. When the language centers are located in the left hemisphere (which occurs in most people, but there may be exceptions), it is neurologically ideal to have right-sided dominance.