Foot laterality during childhood: a review.

Recent reports suggest that footedness warrants consideration as a potentially useful measure of specific aspects of neuropsychological functioning. However, very few data are available concerning its developmental characteristics. This paper presents a review of studies describing the trichotomous distribution of foot laterality spanning the childhood years (ages 3- to 11). When compared to handedness characteristics in the same population, it was noted that right-side dominance (foot preference) was not as pronounced, and about twice as many exhibit no dominant limb (i.e., mixed). The predictable pattern of increasing right-sidedness with advancing age found in handedness was not obvious for foot laterality over this period of time. The mixed-footed phenomenon is addressed using the basic tenets of Annett's Right-Shift hypothesis and the unique cultural factors associated with foot behavior. Applied implications of these observations for neuropsychological assessment and motor skill instruction are discussed.