Brain Dominance: Why It Matters

BY JULIA GROVER-BARREY OTR/L
FOUNDER OF IN-TUNED®

At birth the right (R) brain hemisphere is dominant in almost all of us. This allows for experiencing sensations without concern for categorization, labeling and breaking things down into parts. Living in the R brain during our early years permits us to be part of the whole without production demands or logic interfering.

Early on many of us appear to be left (L) handed, but as we experiment with making sounds, producing words and learning patterns, such as cause and effect, the L hemisphere starts to jockey for more control.

As we become more aware of goal attainment, successful task completion and competing with our peers the L brain becomes the leading hemisphere in about 90% of us.

Hemispheric dominance becomes more consistent and solid around the age of 4 ½ or 5 years and this is when handedness emerges.

Given optimal conditions handedness and eye dominance should naturally emerge on the same side, as should foot and ear dominance. Birthing of the individual’s innate dominance takes those first 3 to 4 years of multi-sensory stimulation, engagement and experimentation.

Currently we are seeing more children with mixed dominance patterns. The child may be R hand dominant, but eye, ear and foot are L dominant. Children with mixed dominance patterns are more at risk of learning difficulties, stress brain and slower processing of sensory information.

We need to care about this, because it provides more evidence that our children need to spend more time playing, exploring and using their entire body during these first years of life. Without these conditions a child’s natural brain dominance is going to have a hard time emerging.

Sitting a child in front of a television, giving them an iPad to play with, restricting them behind a desk at a young age and even focusing on reading too early doesn’t do anything to bring out what mother nature intended for us. When we interfere with natural dominance progression either directly or indirectly, we are interfering with full human potential.

If you are in a position to make room for the organic process of brain dominance to take hold…make room.

Julia