Does crossing midline work for the child?

Crossing midline activity or exercise is frequently used in the rehabilitation of children. It is the movement pattern that includes reaching, stepping, or looking across the body midline, or known as cross lateral integration in development.

This movement pattern is widely used in the paediatric setting, for example cross crawl, bird dog pose and many more. It believes that coordinated movement between the right and left side body is a way to strengthen the brain connection of the right and left hemisphere.

However, there is a lack of scientific study about the effect of cross midline on neural connection between right and left hemisphere, hence, scientists claim this hypothesis is much extraordinary and need extraordinary evidence for it.

During infancy, the midline crossing is represented as a developmental barrier, but it should be seen as a gradual process associated with bilateral coordination where transform from ipsilateral to midline then contralateral movement pattern.

As the maturation of midline crossing is later than ipsilateral movement, there is more error while performing the contralateral movement in the early life. And the differences disappear in the early primary years.

Look into it at the motor level, midline crossing is a good motor coordination activity.

The child needs to be aware of his body, need to plan the movement and execute the movement. Often cross midlines involve more complex and combine movement pattern, that helps in movement exploration as well.