Challenge of left-handedness

Many parents become concerned when their child begins to display left-handedness.

People who use their left hand predominantly are known as lefties or southpaws. The term southpaws dates back to the 1800s, finding its origin from boxing and baseball.

In 1860, one left-handed boxer knocked out his opponent in the ninth round by planting his ‘southpaw’ under his chin.

In baseball too, left-handed players were known as southpaws because they were likely to face the west in order to pitch conveniently with their southpaw because of the way ballparks were designed.

Hand preference or dominance is the consistent favouring of one hand over the other for the skilled part of an activity. This is important because a lack of hand dominance results in difficulties performing fine motor tasks.

In our Ghanaian societies, many children who start off using their left are often discouraged because of the perception that the left is unclean.

Others also begin to worry because they have been told that left-handedness is associated with learning disabilities and health concerns. In most cases, however, being left-handed is actually a normal variation among humans.

10 per cent

About 10 per cent of every population is made up of left-handed persons. Most of these excel in arts, music, maths and sports etc.

Toddlers often use both hands before they establish dominance between three and five years. Left-handedness has no precise scientific cause even though it can run through families.

In a right-handed world, it is easy to turn a blind eye to the challenges that left-handed persons face. It is harder for them to cut with a pair of scissors, to write in spiral notebooks, and even some can openers are suited for right hand use.

Some lecture room chairs with desks attached, numbers key on computer key pads, some door knobs and even pens attached to the counters for use by clients at some banks are always positioned on the right side.

Did you know that when lefties draw a line along a ruler their hands cover the numbers, so it’s hard to see when to stop? All these may make good reasons why parents and caregivers should force children to use their right dominantly.

Good news

The good news, however, is that we do not need to try to change a child’s dominant hand. In many cases, this attempt has only led to frustration on the part of both parents and the child, affecting the child more.

For a left-handed child who is struggling with fine motor tasks, a more effective strategy is to help them refine their skills with their left hand. This is the way to promote the child’s best interest.

Handwriting is one of the most challenging daily activities for left-handed children. This is because their writing hand usually covers what they’ve already written. Sloppy handwriting may therefore be a common concern among parents and teachers who work with left-handed children.

Parents, teachers and occupational therapists should work together patiently creating accommodations for the child. This may include angling the paper to the right in a more comfortable way so the child can have a better view of the work, sit on the left side of the table or even use an inclined surface.

Left-handed brain

The left-handed brain (which is the right side of the brain) works differently in comparison with right-handed people.

As a result, they may have some educational peculiarities and difficulties. In most cases, these children have difficulties in mastering oral and written language skills, numeracy and mathematical operations.

Generally, many left-handed people are creative and intelligent. They learn to think and adapt to the world in creative ways. Parents who suspect that their children may be having a coexisting developmental problem must seek medical attention.

The writer is a Child Development Expert