Tactile Stimulation and Interhemispheric Communication by Learning Disabled Children: An Exploratory Study

Abstract

33 right-handed, learning disabled children aged 8–10 yr., 11–13 yr., and 14–16 yr. were presented a tactile discrimination task. Pairs of fabrics of different or the same texture were presented to the same hand (uncrossed condition) or alternating hands (crossed condition). Analysis indicated that the total number of crossed errors was significantly greater for the youngest children. There were no significant differences between the groups for the uncrossed condition. These results suggest that younger learning disabled children may experience greater difficulty on a task which required interhemispheric transfer.