The purposes of this study were 1) to verify the relationship between hand-eye-foot laterality and spatial organization deficit in schoolchildren, and 2) to categorize the variations in laterality in this population. The sample comprised 400 children aged 6-10 from public and private schools in João Pessoa (Paraíba state, Brazil). Laterality and spatial organization were assessed using the Harris Test of Lateral Dominance and the Piaget-Head Battery, respectively. The results demonstrated 23 types of hand-eye-foot laterality, with the highest proportion (48.75%) showing pure dextrality (right-handedness, right-eyedness and right-footedness). Pure sinistrality was significantly (p<0.05) associated with spatial organization deficit. The results point to the importance of implementing motor stimulation programs which focus on children's laterality and spatial organization during the daily school routine, as a means to preventing and intervening in distortions in their learning process.
Childhood development; Learning disabilities; Lateral dominance
