Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Age or Ability Specific Forums Pre-school handedness/ambidextrous?

Hmm- anyone else have a 4.5 yo that has not chosen which hand to write with?
He eats with his left hand, throws equally well with both hands, bats right handed, uses a screwdriver with the right hand...

If you put a pen in front of him, he'll pick it up with either hand, and writes equally well with both hands. He doesn't generally switch half way through a picture/word, but the next time/project he'll use the other hand...

?? insight

10% of people are left-handed. There is some genetic basis for handedness.
My 6 year old was like that, although he now writes with his right hand. Even now, he will do the computer mouse with his left hand or throw a ball with his left hand. His grandma and great-grandma were both lefties.
You may want to help him pick a hand for writing- maybe right, only b/c I think life is a bit easier for righties. However, maybe he is more of a leftie! Supposedly if you someday have a stroke, you recover better if you are a leftie b/c of how your brain is wired.
Are there any lefties in your family?

DD9 was late choosing a hand... somewhere between 4 and 5 she decided to stick with the right hand. She has since been diagnosed with dyslexia, and this can be an early sign. Her brother is 3 and he has no idea which hand he is... he is just like your little guy, keeps trying both out. Their grandfather is ambidexterous and their uncle and great-grandfather were left-handed. I would not be surprised with DS ends up using his left hand.

DS9 is like that. You never know which had he is going to use. He writes with his right, eats with his left, throws with his left, bats to the right. He was also diagnosed with dyslexia (although he reads 3 grades above grade level) last year. We also have many lefties in the family, so not sure if it was just genetic or related to the dyslexia.

My son has dyslexia and dysgraphia and was completely ambidextrous as a toddler. In Kindergarten, the teacher had my son choose a hand to learn to write with, and he chose right. But he still does a lot of things with his left and is a goofy-footed skateboarder.

I wonder if there are studies showing that boys are more likely to have dyslexia, etc. as lefties. The boy in my first grader's class who has serious ADHD, etc. is a leftie. His writing is very dysgraphic.
My mother was a leftie who got switched as she entered first grade. She stammered as a child, but that went away.
My grandma was a total leftie. They tried to switch her and it didn't work. She had lots of problems using scissors, eating in a restaurant as a leftie, etc. so I've always had the impression that life is so much harder as a leftie!
Although in today's world, it's easy to get left-handed scissors. I do think if your son is a baseball pitcher, it's better to be a leftie!

DD9 is fairly ambidextrous, she writes equally well with either hand, does gymnastics as a lefty, throws with either, but for art she is definitely a righty. She takes great pride in being able to do things with both hands.

I (her mom) am a lefty, as was my grandfather and a few cousins. I would agree jack's mom - being a lefty is harder - even today, everything is made for a right handed person, from the computer mouse to the pour spouts on measuring cups and bottles to the edge of a steak knife.

I have bought various things through the years that have been made for lefties, and sometimes they work well but other times they don't.

I think if you are going to ask a kid to choose a hand, let them decide which "feels right", not one that will necessarily make their lives seem easier, because if they are more left-handed than right but are told to pick right, they may develop more issues based on that mistake.

Hey speechie,

My ds (now 7) was eventually forced to choose a hand for writing at 6. He chose right, and is now pretty right hand dominant, but still switches on occasion. He is another one with probable dyslexia; we're still trying to get a handle on this - so any help from anyone would be greatly receive (I posted on the identification/testing forum earlier today with his scores and some queries). My dd, on the other hand, is an out and out lefty. She doesn't really have any problems but has adapted to cut with her right hand (I say adapted, it's pretty haphazard, and occasionally a little dangerous!), but it means that she doesn't have to find left handed scissors at school or art and craft club. Definitely just let your littlie pick whichever feels most comfortable .
K

I saw this on a website about dyslexia:


"But where dyslexia is identified, between a third and a half of children have a history of learning difficulties in their family, and more than half have a family member who is left-handed. However, the brains of dyslexic children show an unusual variation in left- and right-side activity. Recent research has found that, whereas non-dyslexic children use the left side of their brain for language work, dyslexic children have to use the right side as well."

Thanks jack'smom :),

I don't suppose I could trouble you for the link, could I?

Many thanks,
K