CROSSING THE MIDLINE.........
HOW DOES IT WORK?
Magda de Beer
INTRODUCTION
My recent return to teaching after some time has reminded me of a forgotten phenomenon
amongst learners. I noticed that some of them turned their books, could not reach across the
page and only wrote on one side of the paper. I could see them shift their bodies sideward,
positioning themselves in front of the work without needing to stretch or rotate their bodies
into the opposite direction. Most of their work resulted in being untidy and slower paced.
WHAT DOES CROSSING OF THE MIDLINE MEAN?
In laymen’s terms, crossing the midline refers to the ability to reach across the middle of the
body with arms and legs crossing over to the opposite side. Being able to cross the midline
(an imaginary line down the centre of the body) is an important developmental skill. It is
needed to reach towards your foot to put on a shoe and sock with both hands, tying shoelaces, typing on your keyboard, participating in many sports and other day to day activities.
Poor midline crossing makes it difficult to visually track a moving object from one side to the
other. Learners who have difficulty reaching across their middle may actually get stuck in midreach and have to switch hands or they may compensate by turning their trunk to reach
towards the opposite side.
When a child cannot cross his midline to perform a task, it is usually indicated by extremely
poor balance and coordination. These skills directly affect one’s ability to read and write.
HOW DOES CROSSING OF THE MIDLINE DEVELOP?
The near senses respond to sensations and stimulations (De Jager 2012). The vestibular
system, proprioceptive system and kinaesthesia result in movement to maintain the body
upright. Movement starts as early as week 5 in utero and is naturally prompted by the
primitive reflex system. Blythe (2009) reported that there is a correlation between a retained
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ATNR and cross-laterality. Children with a retained ATNR often have impaired motor planning
skills and lack bilateral integration.
In time the near senses will contribute to the development of muscle tone, crossing the
midlines and balance. This means crossing three midlines:
1. between front and back parts of the brain and body
2. between top and bottom parts of the brain and body
3. between the left and right sides of the brain and body
Constant crossing of the three midlines starts with gross motor movement and later becomes
the more controlled fine motor movements (De Jager 2012). Van der Merwe (2011) says that
the inability to cross the midline can be observed when:
 passing the pen from one hand to the other
 consciously having to choose a hand to perform a task
 working to the side of the body
 eyes are jumping when crossing the visual midline
 reading is hesitant
 writing patterns are inconsistent.
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In order for the body to perform skills that require the use of two sides of the body, midline
crossing (bi-lateral integration) needs to be well established. Research shows that children
who never crawled did not learn how to do bilateral movements and often show weaknesses
in reading, writing and coordination.
WHAT CAN BE DONE TO HELP DEVELOPING MIDLINE CROSSING SKILLS?
Most children learn to accommodate this problem by compensating in a number of ways. The
good news is that a person of any age can learn to cross the midline. It just takes practise.
Fun Activities
Activities to help develop crossing of the midline:
 catch and throw games
 gross motor activities e.g. hopscotch, skipping, dance
 drumming
 pushing toy cars while crawling
 placing scattered building blocks in container
 use a steering wheel to “drive”
 hand-over-hand activities e.g. pulling along a rope
 “hot potato”
 sitting on raised surface (ball) while doing an activity
Mind Moves® for developing midline crossing
Mind Moves uses moves that are “simulations of the natural primitive reflex actions with the
purpose of activating the primitive reflexes to complete their function of developing specific
neurological pathways” (De Jager 2012). The following moves can be done on a daily basis:
Trunk twister
Drop upper body forward, arms hanging down. Rotate slowly
from right to left creating a circle with the body and arms. Stop
to change direction.
This movement provides vestibular stimulation, which
strengthens balance, muscle tone and spatial orientation. It also
promotes crossing the participatory and lateral midlines to
improve appropriate action and task completion.
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Neck rotator
Stand up straight. Slowly turn the head as far to the left as
possible, holding it in the extended position for eight counts.
Slowly turn the head as far to the right as possible. Hold it in the
extended position for eight counts. Repeat 3 times
This movement relaxes the tension in the neck and shoulders to
free up eye movement and improve listening skills. The vestibular
stimulation also improves crossing the visual, auditory and
kinesthetic midlines, as well as posture and balance.
Mouse pad
Focus on the thumb held at elbow distance from the eyes.
Make infinity sign with thumb while eyes follow. Repeat five
times. Swap hands and repeat the same process, always first
drawing a circle around the left eye and then around the right
eye.
This move stimulates the visual, auditory and kinaesthetic
receptive ability, while crossing the midline to integrate the left
and right parts of the brain and body. It develops eye-hand
coordination and visual integration.
Antennae adjuster
Massage both ear lobes simultaneously from top to bottom using circular
movements. Repeat three times.
This move develops the near senses, auditory processing, auditory
perception as well as receptive language ability.
CONCLUSION
The midline is the invisible line that divides the body into a right and left side. Effective
crossing of the midline allows the child to sit still when seated at a desk, without turning their
bodies or paper. It is an important skill for the development of reading and writing. When
crossing the midline new neural pathways develop from one brain hemisphere to the other,
thus increasing overall functioning and learning experience.
Blythe, S. 2009. Attention, Balance and Coordination. The A.B.C of learning success. West Sussex: John Wiley and Sons
De Jager, M and Victor, L. 2013. Play Learn Know a child is a work in progress. Welgemoed: Metz Press.
De Jager, M. 2012. Movement, Muscle Tone, Midlines and Balance. Mind Moves Institute: Johannesburg. [Cited 1 July 2014].
De Jager, M. 2012. What does controlled movement have to do with learning? Johannesburg: Mind Moves Institute.
Van der Merwe, I. 2011. Mind Moves®, Midlines and Muscle Tone. Mind Moves Institute: Johannesburg. [Cited 1 July 2014].
Van der Merwe, I. 2010. Musical Mind Moves to lock laterality and mend midline crossing. Mind Moves Institute:
Johannesburg. [Cited 1 July 2014].
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