title: Absence of ear asymmetry in blind children on a dichotic listening task compared to sighted controls.
abstract: Previous investigations of blind children's reading of braille have shown that braille script is more accurately read by the left hand. This phenomenon is conceived of as a reflection of hemispheric specialization, and it is suggested that owing to the highly spatial character of the script, braille reading involves processes in the right hemisphere to a greater extent than normal visual script. The hypothesis is advanced that a group of blind children will exhibit a bilateral pattern of ear asymmetry on a dichotic listening task than a control group of sighted children. The data from an investigation of 66 children, 8 to 17 years old, support this hypothesis. It is argued that this result reflects a difference in hemispheric laterality between blind and sighted children, and the possible cause of this phenomena is discussed in relation to the appropriate research.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001766:Blindness / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002648:Child; D004007:Dichotic Listening Tests; D004292:Dominance, Cerebral / Q000502:physiology*; D007839:Functional Laterality; D006309:Hearing; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D011932:Reading; D013067:Speech Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D014110:Touch / Q000502:physiology