Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Twice Exceptional Left, right, or mixed dominance?

Is there any solid research that shows a left/right mixed dominance is responsible for some physical uncoordination, dyslexia, handwriting problems, etc.?
GS8 writes left handed but does most large muscle activities right handed. His handwriting is a bit sloppy but can be very neat when he tries. He draws very well. Something I've noticed about his letter writing, he starts many letters from the right and draws to the left. I think it's because no one taught him how to make letters. He saw them, and wrote them. And since he's a lefty, it would be more natural to make a letter from the right to the left. He still reverses some letters, too. Is this unusual for 8.5?

I don't know for sure if there's any solid research, but the first place that comes to mind to look would be in the realm of the work of Linda Silverman re: visual-spatial (right-brained) learners. I vaguely recall that she usually cites to lots of sources, if you're looking for hard core research. Dyslexia, among other LDs, would seem more common among right-brained learners from the way she wrote her book Upside Down Brilliance (which is out of print but it's a fantastic book - I have it, and it is a bit of a life-changing book for me - sometimes there are used ones on amazon).

I have two left-handed kids, DS5 hasn't even really started writing yet (will be getting OT) and DD6 has pretty good handwriting, though I'm noticing her grip is suddenly rather poor. They are both VSLs. DD is in vision therapy for eye tracking issues, and it has helped a lot. I think her ocular motor skills are far better than mine at this point (LOL I can hardly do some of her exercises) and she's finally reading at grade level (though we're hoping to see further improvement, more in line with her supposed potential). My kids have had their fair share of motor issues/SPD and left-brain weaknesses (auditory processing, primarily).

I don't know if letter reversals are still common at 8.5.

The group of issues you mention, physical uncoordination (motor issues), dyslexia and handwriting, do seem to be associated with right-brained learners from the way Silverman discusses things (or perhaps I'm muddling VSL issues with SPD issues). Have you checked http://www.visualspatial.org/ ? Specifically, I'd look at http://www.visualspatial.org/Product_Marketing/RTTK/kidquiz.pdf and http://www.visualspatial.org/Articles/appendc.pdf . If your GS is a VSL, you may find several helpful articles on the website.

Thanks to both of you for the links & info. He is a VSL, as am I. I'll do some more reading and probably have more questions later.

Please, post anything you find of interest, OHG.
Both my girls are VSL. DD8, though seems to also learn auditory sequential, which helps in school.
I don't see the same for DD5, she seems more dominantly VSL.

Incog

OHGrandma, is the handwriting the primary issue you're concerned about? Or are there other motor/uncoordination issues? Or, is it dyslexia that's on your mind?

I was just wondering, because motor issues can sometimes be rooted in SPD/central nervous system issues. What I find rather curious is Silverman's hypothesis that a deprivation of oxygen/nutrients in utero or difficult birth seems to be related to a certain portion of VSLs; and yet, the exact same cause has been linked to SPD. But there's no overt correlation between being a VSL and having SPD that I know of. I just find it odd that two authors (Silverman, and Dr. Miller in "Sensational Kids") cite the same possible cause for a certain portion of people who are VSLs and a certain portion of people who have SPD. Maybe it's merely that such an environmental insult results in different harm depending on the individual, etc. (and that doesn't even put giftedness into the mix - I know there's a correlation between SPD and giftedness, but I thought that had more to do with overexitabilities in general) (does anyone here have the faintest idea what I'm talking about? think I better get to bed!)

Incidentally, on the handedness, I am a VSL as well and I am right-handed. DH thinks he's more of a visual learner as well, and he's also right handed, but I think he's relatively evenly balanced between left-brained and right-brained learning. I tend to have some auditory weaknesses that he does not have, though my weaknesses are very mild compared to those of my kids, I think. One of my brothers is left-handed, and when I emailed him the VSL info he said that's definitely him. He didn't do incredibly well in school - not poorly by any means, but his SATs were a lot lower than mine - and incidentally, he is the most successful of all my siblings (at least financially; as in, beyond anyone's wildest dreams). Makes me wonder if he had some sort of undiagnosed LD. I have another brother, a rightie, who is also a VSL. I don't know about the last brother, never got around to asking. But we can't figure out where it came from - my dad was definitely not a VSL, my mom is a little bit (but she's also a rabid extravert). Also curiously, there is a subgroup of late talkers who tend to have various characteristics in common, and left-handedness is on the list (every time I look at that list, all I can think of is VSL). ok I'll shut up now and go to bed...

GS8 is mildly distressed that he can't throw as well as other 8 year olds, or his younger girl cousins(4.11 & 7.3) or younger(by 13 months) half siblings(twin boy/girl). He can hit a baseball fairly well, left or right handed equally well. He seldom alternates feet going down stairs. His reversal of letters knocks off about 10% of his grade in language arts, not a big deal since he still gets a solid 'B'. It doesn't seem to affect his reading much since he is past sounding out each syllable to decode a word. Any misreading is corrected immediately through understanding context. His writing is usually sloppy, but he can make it neat when he tries. We have a good chance of correcting improperly made letters as he learns cursive.

I guess I was trying to understand if there is a connection between poor large muscle coordination and mixed dominance, which also might explain still reversing letters. So far, most of what I've read seems to by hypotheses, or anecdotal. And some articles point to the advantage of having mixed dominance. At this point it seems doing things which emphasize whole body coordination, like swimming, is as good as anything.

OhGM - I'm sure you've heard me mention this before but my DS10 has visual tracking issues which led to letter reversals. He was also able to understand context very well although when he read out loud he would start on one line and end up on another. However, he would get great grades in reading and on AR tests so that didn't bother me too much. His handwriting was atrocious except when he went very slowly and deliberately and then his hand hurt from all the effort. He also makes letters the wrong way - drawing them backwards. Also, the throwing the ball thing could be a visual issue. My DS has been in therapy about 6 months and we have seen great improvement.

Have you thought about visual issues?

OHGrandma - the bit about not alternating feet going down stairs might have me concerned about gross motor skills (something that could be evaluated by an OT). I am not familiar with a link between motor skills and reversal of letters, except in the realm of ocular motor skills. Motor skills of all kinds can be affected by SPD, see e.g. http://www.starcenter.us/aboutspd.html "Children who have challenges in the proprioceptive and/or vestibular sensory system often display motor delays, poor muscle tone, handwriting difficulties, or postural problems. These sensational kids may be clumsy and awkward and have trouble with coordination in sports (such as with ball handling) and other activities." This would be my DD6 - her SPD troubles are exclusively vestibular and proprioceptive - she does not have the tactile issues that are what people commonly think of as sensory problems, although they are merely one type of sensory problem - and she has an ocular motor problem too (eye tracking/teaming), though that is being fixed (hurray!). Overall, she is much more coordinated after the short, intensive program of OT with listening therapy that we did at the Star Center last fall (it even helped with the vision - the vision therapist was blown away at the improvement. Supposedly, the OT worked on the basic level of the central nervous system, which affects everything else. Long story). Your instinct about swimming might be correct - things that strengthen the core muscles are good, even for handwriting (according to the OT that will be helping my ds with fine motor/handwriting stuff at school next fall). Pushing, pulling and carrying heavy things are often recommended as part of a daily "sensory diet". I have more to say about this topic if you consider going down this road (not all OTs specialize in SPD at its most basic level; some think they do but they're only thinking about things like "brushing", for example, something that has never even been done for my dd since it's not relevant to her issues).

I really have no idea what the normal age to stop reversing letters is. Having been down the road of ocular motor issues with dd, the combo of letter reversals and handwriting difficulty might tempt me to get an evaluation, or at least a screening, with a behavioral optometrist ( http://www.covd.org/ ) (most opthamologists do not do this kind of testing; it's different from a regular eye exam). I think our initial screening was like $25 and the eval was around $95 or something like that. (Unfortunately, none of these therapies come cheaply!) I may have a few more links on vision if you're interested - let's see...
http://www.numberoneeyecare.com/children.htm
http://www.visiontherapystories.org/
http://optometrists.org/hellerstein/vision_therapy.html


Dottie - interestingly, my two with the left-brain weaknesses also had perinatal issues. With DD, I had an undiagnosed, untreated clotting disorder, which was cutting off her supply of nutrients, and she was small, 5 lbs 14 oz at term, born by section for breech. She was also extremely purple. With DS, though my clotting issue was being treated (albeit insufficiently), he was the smaller of twins (by more than a pound; his brother ate all his food, the nicu nurses were fond of saying), and small for gestational age, born prematurely with a host of other issues (respiratory distress, sepsis, etc.). Both of them have had speech delays and also various SPD issues, coincidentally. The bigger twin ds had a speech delay and occasionally seems to have some mild SPD but we have never sought therapy (yet) for that. He's also the only one of the three who can sound out words phonetically (well, dd can do it now, finally, but she's nearly 7), so it seems he doesn't have the left-brain weaknesses of his siblings, at least not to the same extent. My most recent baby was born nearly two pounds bigger than dd at the exact same gestation, thanks to a hefty dose of anticoagulants, and he is so normal and easy it's hard to believe! Fingers crossed that our last one, #5, due in three months, will be similar in those respects Though one can wonder whether the right-brain strengths of my more "normal" kids will be on par with, or inferior to, the right-brain strengths of the two with more significant left-brain weaknesses. DS5, with the left brain weaknesses, is starting to show signs that he may well be "smarter" than DD - in other words, he seems more extreme in strengths and weaknesses, and meanwhile the weaknesses are improving with the various therapies and with time. (will my "normal" kids not rise to the level of being gifted? will the weaknesses have increased the right-brained giftedness? I know I'm a little nuts)

"Pushing, pulling and carrying heavy things are often recommended as part of a daily "sensory diet". I have more to say about this topic if you consider going down this road "

hehehe, one more benefit to feeding and cleaning up after his calves!

I don't want to be looking for something that's not there. And because he is doing so well in school, maybe everything has just been normal development, just a bit slower for him. Or maybe what we've been doing with swimming lessons, piano lessons, physical activity on the farm, etc., has been the therapy he's needed to progress? I was thinking about getting him a jump rope, after all, boxers use jumping rope as a training tool for improving their footwork and coordination.

At five my son was still ambidextrous. He could use both hands equally well to write but handwriting was sloppy with both and he couldn't draw very well or color in the lines very well or button his shirt and he refused to do puzzles unless they were online versions. The teacher had him just use his right hand for writing and he writes a little better now with his right hand.

To help with fine motor issues, I put him in piano lessons and told the piano teacher that he had hypotonia and fine motor problems. He played piano with both hands equally well and he will probably finish level 3 in a few months. Even now, he will occasionally play the right hand notes with the left hand or the left hand notes with the right. I told the OT about that and the fact that he sometimes still reversed letters (he didn't the day she tested him though) and that we sometimes joked that it must be "misfiring neurons." She said that is exactly what it is and that she thinks sensory integration therapy for his vestibular and proprioceptive issues will help him. He has only had two OT sessions so far so it is too early to tell if it will help him.

One doctor told us that my son might have had mild birth asphyxia when the cord was wrapped around his neck. My husband said his heartbeat slowed down to the point where he could no longer hear it and they had to use forceps to deliver him quickly. I believe my son's problems are related to this, but the developmental pediatrician said we would not be able to prove it. My son seemed normal when I was pregnant and I did not have any problems during the pregnancy. The only thing I noticed different about him was that he startled more easily than my daughter. If there was a loud noise, like dropping a pan, or if I turned on the vibrator on my vibrating recliner he had more of a reaction than my daughter. He kicked as much as my daughter did if not more. She didn't have any of these problems and most of my family is athletic. When my son learned about DNA and heredity several years ago he wanted to know if he was a genetic mutation so we told him what we thought was the reason for his physical difficulties. I am thinking about taking him to a neurologist even though the developmental pediatrician said he probably wouldn't be able to tell us for sure what caused my son's issues.