Did it ever occur to you what difficulties left-handed children encounter when they start writing or using their hands? Take some time and watch a four-year-old left-handed holding a pencil to write or a tool to work with. Only then do you grasp the dilemma he or she goes through. You will comprehend the laborious effort in holding a pencil as well as the awkwardness of the hand position. You then start to wonder why their right-handed peers do not experience the same difficulty.
There is no scientific explanation for that, but we must remember that most school instruments, daily appliances, and other gadgets are crafted for the convenience of the right-handed due their higher population percentage. Only 10 percent of girls and 16 percent of boys are born left-handed. So what should we do when we realize that a child has more power in his or her left hand? Should we remain helpless or leave the child to cope on his or her own?
No, it is important for parents to intercede at an early age. The child should be guided into holding tools (pencil, pen, ruler) hygienically and positioning the writing-hand and note-book comfortably. School instruments or any other should also be designed for left-hand use.
According to Dr. Michel Galobardes, author of several books on the subject, “The first way to help your child is to establish his or her skilled hand as early as possible in order to notify the instructor.”
Ultrasound scanners can detect the hand of preference in the unborn, in utero, through the sucking of the left thumb or brain structure. A baby is born left-handed like he or she is born blue-eyed or brown-eyed.
Therefore, you should give your child the freedom to use whatever hand he or she chooses. However, Dr. Galobordes suggests helping him cope in a world that caters mostly to the right-handed. He recommends assisting the child in adapting to the pressures of adjustment due to physical and mental strains, because the process also involves an emotional dilemma that should be resolved as early as possible. Dr. Galobordes explains, “If we leave the left-handed on their own to learn how to write (hold the pencil), they will eventually twist their wrists in order to put their hands above the line. Instead, show them how to place the note-book according to the comfort of the hand, which will correct the position of the hand and spare them the physical strain resulting from hand twisting.”
To prevent twisted hand positions, parents should follow the initial stage carefully and diligently during homework hours to make sure that the child is properly seated on the chair with note-book sharply slanted towards the right. The child should be constantly encouraged with affectionate words; negative remarks can be confusing, make him or her feel like a “freak.”
Parents should buy writing tools and geometry instruments designed for the left-handed. To avoid undue reprimands and criticism in class, tools like scissors, ink-pens, rulers, sharpeners, and other gadgets should be available at home and in class (for more information about such tools, search on the Internet). This would relieve some of the complications and pressures these children tend to encounter in their attempt to master the appropriate writing position.
Though more talented, ambi-dexterous (equal power in both hands) children encounter similar difficulties, hence they, too, require assistance and guidance. We should remember that we are neither born nor made alike. Just because their brain structure differs slightly, left-handed children should neither be reprimanded at home nor at school; neither should they be coerced into writing or using their right-hands instead.
Parents should understand that their children are perfectly normal and that such tendencies should be respected and helped in order for them to develop in a proper manner, while minimizing undue difficulties to prevent gauche writing positions. Patience, understanding, and know-how are of the essence for the development of our children!
(Mariam Alireza is a holistic science specialist. Send comments to [email protected]. Log on to arabnews.com for previous articles.)
