Left unilateral neglect in a preschool child.

The authors present a case of transient left hemispatial inattention following traumatic brain injury in a three-year-old child. Computed tomographic scan revealed a small right frontal and a right temporo-parietal contusion. Stimuli were developed to quantify the response difference between hemifields in this pre-literate child. Hemispatial inattention showed resolution at 19 days post-trauma and had completely resolved six months later. These findings suggest that right hemisphere systems subserve visually guided attention before six years of age.