Development of reciprocal hemispheric inhibition in normal and learning-disabled children

Matched populations (N = 90) of learning-disabled and normal children representing an age range of approximately five years were administered a dichotic listening task to examine the hypothesized development of reciprocal control by the left cerebral hemisphere over the right. An analysis of the free-recall raw scores for each ear by the two groups of children at three developmental levels supported the notion that age-related changes occur in the right cerebral hemisphere and not in the left. Consequently, the notion that the left hemisphere becomes more lateralized during development was not supported. Rather, a differential model of cerebral inattention and suppression of stimuli perceived transcallosally by the left hemisphere was adopted as more appropriate in conceptualizing neuropsychological accomodation and functioning in learning-disabled children.