Difficulty crossing the midline

august06mom

Has anyone dealt with this? It's been mentioned for DS2, and I don't quite understand. I plan to ask his OT again. How does this play out when they get older?

mommy0411

My DS1 has this same issue (he has ASD). For him, his issue is being able to use both hands during an activity and changing hands with an object. His OT has him working on 2 handed activities such as stringing beads that require changing hands. Also, "cutting" food that is velcroed together. I don't know about older kids since my DS1 is the same age

august06mom

Thanks ladies. DS also seems to have mixed dominance at this point. He's still young but his SI says he really should have picked a hand by now.

MaxandRuby

DS2 (almost 4) has this and he has CP. His left side is his weakest and he is unable to cross midline with his left hand.  I am not sure yet how this is going to affect him in school. We work on 2 handed activities, reaching, and "forcing" him to use his left hand on occasion. He is able to transfer objects between hands but his left hand is very weak and fine motor skills especially for that hand are very far behind (he still uses a raking motion to pick things up with that hand).

finsup

For us crossing the midline became difficult when he was asking each side of his body to do something different.  So, passing an object hand to hand no issue.  When he was younger stringing beads was hard.  Building a tower was not.   Using one hand to cut with scissors while the other hand was holding/manipulating the paper was hard.

For us this also showed in things like - walking up and down the stairs alternating feet.  He used a step to step pattern forever and really hard to work on getting him to alternate feet/steps.  Also riding a bike and scooter - where each foot is doing something different at the same time continues to be a challenge. 

wellfleet04

This is an ongoing issue for DD (6 and in first grade).  She's received OT for vestibular processing issues since age 2.5.  She was late to pick a dominant hand, and is now a non-heriditary lefty (no one else in either side of the family is a lefty).  She could not draw a T without switching hands until she was 4.5.  Using scissors, handwriting, riding a bike, and other skills continue to be an issue. She receives PT and OT at school on an IEP.

mightmom13

DD has difficulty and is working on this in OT. She has always been left side dominant, chooses to use her left - could be a lefty, or due to a mitochondrial issue that makes the right side weaker (even if dominant just like me), or a combo of the two - I think the latter.

She can string beads now in OT, but has to be guided to use/cross the midline. She chooses to do things one sided on her own - usually left, and has the alternating steps issue herself. For now she has issues with utensils, so now she chooses not to (choking/stuffing/chewing is an issue so I am not pressing utensils now). She also has trouble even peddling her Cozy Coupe car with her feet per alternation. She is already learning compensation techniques, but as I know it still makes some everyday things difficult.

Rachel Sonnier

DS has issues with midline crossing also. He still has no hand preference. Lots of issues with fine motor and primitive movements. They work on it at OT and we also try to work on it at home. Someone here suggested playing patty cake/clap and cross games, which is difficult for him, but he enjoys them and I think they help.