Q. At parent-teacher conference today I was told that my 14-year-old twins have “left-brain deficiency.” It sounds horrible, like a disease or something! Have you heard of this before?

A. Left-brain deficiency is simply a label that some people use which describes (in a negative way in my brain’s opinion) a person whose brain has an innate right-brain energy advantage. I prefer describing things, insofar as it is possible to do so, in a way that is less likely to make a brain feel incomplete or inefficient. Do most individuals who have giftedness in the right hemisphere struggle with details, tasks, and expectations related to left hemisphere functions? Definitely. Is society skewed toward rewarding left hemisphere functions (especially in school)? It appears so.

In the book Disconnected Kids by Dr. Robert Melillo, characteristics of a child with left-brain deficiency may include:

  • Tends to procrastinate tasks that require large amounts of energy (brain tends to avoid what it knows require more energy) 
  • May have poor self-esteem, especially when it comes to academics
  • Dislikes doing homework
  • Is not good at following routines
  • Has difficulty following multiple-step directions
  • May jump to conclusions
  • Generally has a very easy going attitude
  • May be difficult to motivate at times
  • Struggles with a sense of time
  • Has a poor sense of passage of time especially if interested in something
  • Has difficulty with details and sequential multiple-step directions

These characteristics are exhibited by a child with a right-brain advantage. They are not characteristics rewarded in most current school system. Therefore, it’s relatively easy to understand how such a child would have difficulty in a typical school setting that emphasizes left-brain functions. Here are just a few characteristics and I’ve included (in parentheses) the probable correlation with the cerebral division that accomplishes the task most easily, Sensory Preference, or Extraversion-Ambiversion-Introversion. These brains are gifted in characeristics that differ from those brains who are gifted in left brain characteristics. Here are some of the characteristics in children with right brain advantage that are also needed in our world todayl

  • Able to mentally picture something they want to creat (Envisioning))
  • Is an intuitive thinker (Envisioning)
  • Is led by feelings (Harmonizingt)
  • Dislikes routines (Maintaining)
  • Good at abstract free association (Envisioning)
  • Poor analytical skills (Prioritizing)
  • Likes pictures, images, and patterns (Envisioning)
  • Frequently asks why questions about almost everything (Envisioning)
  • Enjoys touching and feeling actual objects (Kinesthetic)
  • Is unlikely to read instructions before trying something new (Envisioning)
  • Is naturally creative, but needs to work hard to develop full potential (each cerebral division has its own form of creativity but exhibiting that in a left-hemisphere style may be somewhat of an oxymoron)
  • Would rather do things hands on instead of just observing (Kinesthetic)
  • Can often come up with the correct answer but has difficulty articulating how it got the answer (Envisioning)
  • Sees the big picture (Envisioning)
  • (Likes variety (Envisioning, Extroverted brains)

So what do you do? Identify and affirm your twins for what they do well. Help them to honor and enjoy their brain’s giftedness, recognizing that this differs in some ways from what society in general (and often education in particular) rewards. Help them understand that although the way in which their brains function is not well-aligned with expectations in the typical main-stream school system, they can still be successful!

Avoid negative reinforcement and punishment. Use a “when you do this, you will...” approach, always speaking in a positive style and stimulating the brain with hope. Be patient, be viewed as a resource rather than an enforcer, be consistent, catch them doing what needs to be done, and be warmly affirming.

Avoid just asking “Have you finished such and such?” Rather, look at the project or paper with them. For example, if the teacher requires a research project, sit down with the twins, break the project into small steps, and write each step on a large calendar. When the date rolls around, compare notes with the twins, see what has been accomplished, and help them as necessary. Be sure to offer encouragement and affirmation as each step is completed. Remember that a big-picture brain can find it energy-exhausting to break the big picture down into small steps and usually needs help with that. One of the major hemispheric bridges, the corpus callosum, isn't even myelinated or paved until age 20-21, which can further complicate hemispheric communication. (Think of myelin as the brain's asphalt, which paves the neuron highways.)

Understand that the function of willpower resides in the pre-frontal cortex. That portion of the brain is more or less done somewhere in the late 20's or 30's for many brains. It’s important to begin developing the skills of willpower at their age as long as you remember their brains are not even close to being done as yet. Also remember, that willpower can help persist through to a new goal but is not designed to stop a bad behavior. Willpower rarely works well in helping someone NOT do something (e.g., don’t forget, don’t procrastinate, don’t miss a step). Rather, be very specific in what to do now (e.g., remember that your research project is due on Friday. Let's review is now in case there is something else that needs to be done.).