The following is an extract from a superb article on left handedness and children by Barbara Fyles which appeared on the kidsmatter website and which is reproduced here by their kind permission - issue 8, August 2000

When Left can be Right

I can remember vividly my mother telling me horror stories about her school days. One of the worst of these stories was the way she was repeatedly rapped across the knuckles with a ruler for showing a preference to write with her left hand. Her pencil was placed firmly in her right hand, while her left was held behind her back. Although she grew up to be right handed it was a tremendous physical barrier to overcome.

She maintains that in those days it was considered that being left-handed was abnormal, probably due to laziness on the part of the child. Centuries earlier, however, the punishment must have been even more horrific as left-handedness was, apparently, associated with witchcraft and devil worship.  

What causes left-handedness?

Until fairly recently, left-handedness was thought to be a pathological condition arising from damage to the brain suffered in the womb or postnatally. This theory was supported with the evidence that a greater number of epileptics and schizophrenics were left-handed. Unfortunately (or perhaps, fortunately) for this theory, it was discovered that most left-handers do not fall into this category. Researchers now believe that left-handedness like right-handedness, is a natural genetic characteristic.

Babies begin life by using both hands and later develop through a stage of using the right and left alternately. By the age of four, a preference of hand will be noticeable and by the age of eight or nine, dominance will have been established.

Studies have shown that there are varying degrees of left-handedness. Some children write with their left hand but have a dominant right for other tasks. Others use both hands with equal ease.

No child should be forced to change from left to right-handedness, but they could find themselves at a distinct disadvantage at school if teachers are not made aware of the problems that they face. Trying to adapt to a right-handed world may cause children to appear clumsy and badly co-ordinated.  

Left to Write

If your child is left-handed he could face major pitfalls when learning to write. If a parent or teacher is not left-handed the child may not be shown the best way to perform this task. Consequently, he will either try to find his own way, or imitate his right-handed parents or friends, adopting an unnatural position known as ‘the hook.’ We have probably all got memories of children working with their left arm curled round so that their hand is above the writing and the pencil pointing towards the body. In this position, the arm is contorted and the muscles stretched, which results in cramp when writing for long periods.

So what can we do to ease the strain?  

Points to consider

Without specific help, writing will become a chore. Consequently, left-handers are less likely to enjoy wring and, therefore, avoid it when they can. They will probably be slower at writing and this will become a disadvantage during tests and examinations. Presentation of work could also be poor if their hand drags across the writing causing it to smudge.

It is difficult for right-handed people to appreciate the problems faced by their left-handed friends in just using and dealing with every day tools and equipment. Scissors, knives and forks, tin openers can cause endless problems. Playing cards, learning to sew or knit can be a problem and most computer keyboards are designed for right-handed people.  

So how can we make life easier for our left-handed children?