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WHAT IS BRAIN
ASYMMETRY?
Brain Imbalance
 With
learning disorders, the main problem relates to an
imbalance in function between the two hemispheres of
the brain.
All human functions are distributed either in the
right or left brain hemisphere. To some degree all
of us have one hemisphere that is less stimulated or
developed, resulting in a loss of function on that
side of the brain. This sometimes results in the
functional increase of the good hemisphere of the
brain (Think about “bipolar disorder” it’s not that
both sides of your brain don’t work, but that one is
not functioning well – perhaps leading to
depression, then the other side may overcompensate
and fire at a higher level, leading to the “manic”
symptoms). Also, many parents exclaim “my son has
ADD but he’s very intelligent!” That is true. ADD
is usually a problem in the right frontal cortex,
and thus the left cortex may function at a higher
rate and the left side is responsible for IQ.
Normal Functions
Left Hemisphere
-
Verbal communication
-
Mathematical calculation
-
Approach behavior, which is really about
desire. It is the motivation to do things
-
Details and facts
-
Reading (the actual ability to read the words)
-
Intention as opposed to attention (right brain);
Social motivation (not the act of being social
but the desire to get up and go)
-
Object recognition
-
Female brain is better developed on the left
side
-
Usually enjoy your surroundings with dominant
left brain. The left brain is not interested in
novel activities or environments. It is very
happy in a comfort zone. It loves repetition
and systems.
-
Computers are a good fit with the left brain.
Dyslexia is a condition or learning
disability which causes difficulty with
reading and writing. Its standard
definition is a difficulty in reading and
writing in spite of normal or above-average
intelligence and cognitive abilities.
People are often identified as dyslexic when
their reading or writing problems cannot be
explained by a lack of intellectual ability,
inadequate instruction, or sensory problems
such as poor eyesight.
The term dyslexia is also sometimes used to
refer to the loss of reading ability
following brain damage. This form of
dyslexia is more often referred to as either
“acquired dyslexia” or “alexia”. Dyslexia
primarily impacts reading and written
abilities; however, other difficulties have
been reported including deficits in
processing spoken language as well as
non-language difficulties.
Despite popular belief, dyslexia is not
caused by reversing the order of letters in
reading, nor is it a visual perception
deficit that involves reading letters or
words backwards or upside down.
Evidence that dyslexia is a neurological or
brain-based condition is substantial. Some
question whether the term dyslexia is so
fraught with popular misconceptions that it
should be dropped altogheter and replaced
with the term Reading Disorder or Reading
Disability (RD). Because difficulty in
“breaking the code” of sound-letter
association (reading acquisition) can be
seen as being on a continuum, some believe
the term dyslexia should be reversed for the
most severely affected with RD, the bottom
two to five percent. Moreover, dyslexia is
not always the culprit in a child’s not
learning to read. Poor teaching methods can
leave non-dyslexic children with poor
reading skills.
Dyslexia is clearly a dysfunction in the let
hemisphere, more specifically in the left
frontal lobe. The left frontal lobe controls
the quick saccadic movements of the eyes as
they move left during reading. When the left
cortex is neurologically weakened, its
ability to saccade or quickly move the eyes
to the right is diminished leading to a disability.
Normal Functions
Right Hemisphere
-
Non-Verbal communication
-
Being able to read body posture, facial posture,
looking at the eyes during conversation.
-
Facial
recognition
-
Basic social
skills
-
Having a sense of
self or self-esteem
-
The right brain is the
negative side, and associated with fear and
anxiety.
-
It is the visual-spatial brain meaning that is
allows us to know where we are in space
-
Reading comprehension. The ability to read a
story and understand the meaning.
-
Complex math reasoning not basic calculation
-
Novel (new) things are right brain
-
Seeing the big picture
 Most
of these conditions are right hemisphere deficits:
ADD/ADHD, OCD, Tourette's, Asperger's and Autism
They all clearly involve a loss of function of the
right hemisphere.
Strong Left
Brain: "but my child is really smart!"
In many of these right brain disorders, the
functions of the LEFT BRAIN are intact and can lead
to individuals with a higher than average IQ.
Continue to next
section: Drugs For A "Chemical Imbalance?" |
