Children with WeakenedLeft Brain Function are Imaginative and Social, but May Struggle Academically in a Traditional Classroom Environment
Our brains consist of two sides or hemispheres. Children withbehavioral, academic, social, or other challengesoften have an imbalance in hemispheric brain communication - what we refer to asfunctional disconnection syndrome,or where one hemisphere is processing information too slowly. This causes one side of the brain to be stronger, while the other side develops more slowly and is weaker.
The right hemisphere of the brain controls sensory processing and expression. Children who areleft brain weakare often very visual, spontaneous, emotional and intuitive but may struggle academically with memorizing facts and paying attention to details.
Traits of the Right Hemisphere of the Brain
Creative kids tend to be right-brained, and when in learning situations they prefer to:
Solve problems by looking at similarities and patterns.
Draw rather than write.
Physically handle objects.
Answer open-ended questions rather than multiple choice tests.
Discuss topics.
Assimilate whole chunks of information rather than break them down into discrete facts.
Left Brain Weak Children at School
Modern education systems are developed mainly for left-brained children, who like to structure, plan, work alone, and solve problems with logic. Left brain weak studentsmay find it difficult to settle into school routines and often need assistance in order to cope successfully with the challenges of scholastic life.
You may find that your left-brain weak child has problems with memorizing lists or tables, has difficulty understanding verbal instructions, struggles with writing, cannot focus on one task for too long, and generally doesn't enjoy school. Dyslexia is also common among right brain dominant children.
Learning Strategies
Because thesechild can often find it difficult to memorize facts with auditory cues such as repetition or rhymes, a good idea is to provide visual cues like picture stories which appeal to the emotions or concrete objects like blocks or colored counters. For example, when teaching letters of the alphabet or vocabulary, integrate the letter or word into a small cartoon so that your child remembers the whole picture. Use a similar strategy for numbers, bringing colors and images into play.
Working in groups is an ideal situation for left brain weakchildren as they like to tackle art projects and often come up with stimulating and original ideas. They respond well to visual demonstrations on PowerPoint and enjoy music, videos, and dance as methods of learning. Role playing is enjoyed by right-brainers, as they prefer to be in the middle of the action rather than listening to a lesson.
How to Use This Information to Help Your Child
Because children with weak left brains tend to be disorganized and have difficulty focusing for any length of time, they often don't perform well in school and parents may become discouraged. However, the left side of the brain—which tends to focus on the details of life, is logical, and breaks down problems into solvable pieces—can be brought up to speed.
Right-brained learners are creative, inventive, imaginative, and often gifted in the arts, music, or sports. They have the ability to learn instantly and visually when they have access to images, graphs, maps, and organizers of information.
What are the weaknesses of a right-brained person? Right-brained characteristics tend to me less detail-oriented than left-brained characteristics. They may not be as organised, and they can't always focus on one task at a time. They tend to procrastinate more, and they're easily distracted by new ideas or projects.
Your left brain child tends to like workbooks and working on his own. The right-brainer, on the other hand, likes discussion, prefers projects to workbooks and tends to be a little higher maintenance during the school day, requiring more of your interaction time.
While everyone uses both sides of their brains in work (and in life), people who think of themselves as right-brained tend to be creative, emotional, and intuitive. They are more likely an imaginative and innovative thinker and are often drawn to fields where they can express themselves freely and help others.
Those who are right-brained are supposed to be intuitive and creative free thinkers. They are "qualitative," big-picture thinkers who experience the world in terms that are descriptive or subjective. For example, "The skies are gray and menacing; I wonder if it's going to rain?"
All in all, the information presented above on abnormal brain lateralization in ADHD is inconclusive; albeit most evidence favors right hemisphere dysfunction.
Some people say that if you're right-brained, you're more creative, artistic, and intuitive. Each side of the brain is responsible for different functions, but research suggests there are no “left-brained” or “right-brained” people. That said, some people are stronger in right- or left-brain functions.
The right side of the brain processes and communicates in images, hence we often say, 'a picture is worth a thousand words'. Right-brain thinkers talk more readily in metaphors and can conjure powerful images with the words they use.
IQ is a measure of global intelligence in the brain and in order to reach certain levels, both sides are needed. It's a myth that high IQ people are not creative and are left-brained. That doesn't mean that they don't necessarily favor one side or the other, but the entire thing is needed to function on that level.
Ordinary readers use left-brain systems, but dyslexic readers rely more on right brain areas. Researchers Judith Rumsey and Barry Horwitz at the National Institute of Mental Health used positron emission tomography (PET) to compare regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) among dyslexic and nondyslexic men.
The human brain does not favor one side over the other. The two sides work differently, but one side is not stronger than the other unless it's damaged. (Likewise, despite what a bratty sibling or bully may have told you in middle school, neither brain size nor strength correlate to intelligence.
"More than 160,000 Americans used our brain test. The results showed that 37 percent of Americans are left-brained, while only 29 percent are right-brained. In 34 percent of participants, the two hemispheres exert equal influence on decision-making.
Right-brained people are also more likely to be empathetic and sensitive. They might seem dreamy or absent-minded at times, but this isn't because they're not paying attention—it's because they're naturally less concerned with details. Strengths associated with right brain characteristics are: Seeing the big picture.
The right hemisphere of the human brain has been associated for years with many wonderful things the “left brain” has not. High-profile figures have championed the right brain for its creativity, intuition and spirituality, while maintaining the left brain is the locus of logic, analysis and pragmatism.
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Our brains consist of two sides or hemispheres. Children withbehavioral, academic, social, or other challengesoften have an imbalance in hemispheric brain communication - what we refer to asfunctional disconnection syndrome,or where one hemisphere is processing information too slowly. This causes one side of the brain to be stronger, while the other side develops more slowly and is weaker.
