Relationship between Development of the Body-Righting Reaction and Manual Midline Crossing Behavior in the Learning Disabled

The study was designed to consider the possible relationship between the development and integration of the body-righting reaction and the development of manual midline crossing behavior in learning-disabled and normal children aged 6 to 8 years (23 subjects in each group). A combination of three movement patterns (rolling from supine to prone, transition from supine to standing, and equilibrium in sitting) was used to analyze the body-righting reaction. The Space Visualization Contralateral Use (SVCU) score derived from the Southern California Space Visualization Test was used to measure manual midline crossing behavior. Results of the study found that the learning-disabled subjects exhibited significantly reduced performance on both test measures, when compared to the normal controls. A correlation between scores on the two tests did not reach significance. The findings are described as they relate to sensory integration testing, and the need for further study of the body-righting reaction and manual midline crossing behavior.