This commentary, written in response to Witelson's work (1987), examines alternative ways of determining how the developmentally stable functional asymmetry (hemispheric specialization) observed in neurologically intact children can be reconciled with the dramatic recovery of function often displayed following unilateral brain damage. (PCB)

Studies the relationship between timing of puberty and spatial ability in 53 undergraduate women. Results do not show evidence for greater spatial ability on the part of those who have late maturation. (RJC)

Left-hemisphere language specialization in right-handed children was tested in children previously classified as consistent or nonconsistent in their hand preference. Results showed that both male hand preference groups demonstrated asymmetric interference in dual task tapping performance. In contrast, only females associated with consistency in…

Autistic children's direction of hemispheric asymmetry in response to linguistic stimuli differed significantly from that of normal subjects, showing reversed but not necessarily reduced patterns. Autistic children with more advanced language abilities were more likely to exhibit a normal direction of hemispheric asymmetry. Implications are…

Discusses the relevance of the study of the neurobiology of cognitive development, for an understanding of both the neural bases and the nature of cognition. Also considered are the age at which hemisphere specialization first appears and whether hemisphere specialization changes over time. (PCB)