Psychological characteristics of left-handed children. Left-handed school problems

Left-handed people are of mixed interest to others. Some are sure that such a person is a unique, creative person. Others consider this feature a flaw and, if it is found in a child, they try to get rid of it by retraining. Is left-handedness considered a deviation, what are its causes and symptoms? Is it necessary to retrain a left-handed person and what problems he may encounter in life. About all this in this article.

Harmonious development: a little left-hander is different from a right-hander

Left-handedness cannot be considered a whim or a bad habit. It is the result of a special structure of the brain. For a left-handed child to become truly successful, do not try to change him. Do not force your child to go against nature and act like others.

We propose to understand the psychological characteristics of the development of left-handed children:

• Good spatial orientation - a baby whose right hemisphere of the brain is more developed is more mobile and has better control of his body.
• Increased emotionality, impressionability and vulnerability. A left-handed child is more likely to be seen as irritable, depressed, or resentful.
• There are problems in studying algebra, since this subject is focused on logic and consistency of thinking.
• A left-handed person is not good at activities related to constant self-control. But he will be successful in team sports and horse riding.
• A left-handed person understands words better, but has problems actively reproducing them.

A right-brain dominant child considers data in a holistic way. He is a great inventor of various fables. In addition, left-handed children are excellent at summarizing information exercises.

How does a left-handed child cope with school?

Underdeveloped visual-spatial perception, which is common in left-handed children, causes the following problems:

• slow pace of reading - the child sits for a long time over the textbook;
• delays in writing - the child writes unnecessary details or loses sight of important elements;
• replacing similar shapes - a child can easily draw an oval instead of a circle or a square instead of a rectangle;
• copying or mirroring letters and numbers;
• lack of stable handwriting - letters of different sizes often “jump” between the lines.

It is worth noting that these difficulties only intensify when trying to mold a baby into a right-hander. It is also difficult for a left-handed person to cope with the dial - it usually indicates the time with a difference of 10 or 15 minutes. In order not to lag behind his peers in anything, he comes up with colossal workarounds.

Causes of left-handedness

If the baby prefers to hold a pen and fork in his left hand, then he is left-handed. A child whose right hemisphere is dominant is a child who is left-handed. For such a baby it is typical to use the left side of the body.

Left-handedness happens:

• Genetic. If the parent is left-handed, then the chance of the child exhibiting this feature increases by 10-12 times. Genetic left-handedness is not considered a deviation. This is just one of the development options.
• Compensatory. If at the stage of early development the baby suffered some kind of illness or injury, then the tasks of the left hemisphere of the brain could be taken over by the right.
• Hidden. Such a child thinks like a left-hander, but writes with his right hand.
• Forced. The child may imitate his left-handed friends or become dominant on the left side of the body due to injury.

The differences between left-handed and right-handed people do not end with the choice of dominant hand. These children process information differently and respond to information from the environment. Left-handed children are considered more vulnerable, so they require three times more attention than right-handed children.

Diagnostics

It is not difficult to diagnose this feature. Usually, parents themselves determine that their baby is left-handed by observing his actions.

There are tasks that allow you to diagnose left-handedness:

• Drawing . They put a sheet of paper and a pencil in front of the baby and ask him to draw whatever he wants. Then they offer to draw the same thing, but with the other hand. Then the quality of the completed drawings is compared.
• Opening the box . Place any toy in the box, close the lid and ask the child to take it out. If the left hand predominates, then, accordingly, the box will open with it. For more reliable data, the rear ones should be repeated several times.
• Ball game . Mom and child throw a ball to each other using only one hand. Observe which hand he throws and catches the ball with.
• Cutting . The child is asked to cut out any picture from a postcard or magazine, while the activity of the left and right hands is observed.
• Mosaic or puzzles . The child is asked to put together a picture from simple fragments designed for his age. When performing a task, it is clearly visible which hand he uses more actively. It is with his leading hand that he will take the fragments and put them in the right place.

During tasks for left-handedness, the child should not know about this. This will ensure the purity of the experiment.

How should parents not behave if their child is left-handed?

Due to the stereotypes prevailing in society, some adults are sure that being left-handed is a death sentence. They get irritated over little things, force the child to take a pencil and spoon with his right hand, and force him to write continuously. Incorrect parental behavior creates an inferiority complex in the child, which makes it difficult for him to participate in the social life of the class.

Typical mistakes of parents:

• Regret that their child is left-handed. Do not focus on the baby’s developmental features and do not allow others to do so. Do not allow yourself to make harsh negative statements about your child, otherwise he will become overly withdrawn and shy.
• Attempts to retrain the baby. The insistence on holding a spoon and pen in the right hand is truly abusive to the left-handed brain. Such parental actions usually have serious negative consequences: speech therapy problems, delays in speech formation, neuroticism of the baby (enuresis, headaches, sleep problems or appetite disturbances).
• Selecting classes with increased load. Left-handers are characterized by indecisiveness, fatigue and reduced performance. They may not do well in high-stress classes.
• Strict requirements for the “correctness” of handwriting. For left-handed children, writing letters vertically or tilting them to the left is considered the norm. Do not force your child to tilt the letters to the right or write them continuously. Be sure to warn the teacher about the student’s special needs.
• Trying to get something from a child by shouting. The little left-hander is vulnerable and impressionable. If a parent constantly screams and demands, the baby will withdraw into himself and eventually lose contact with adults.

Instead of aggressively trying to correct the little lefty, set him up for success. Constantly repeat motivating phrases “you can do it”, “you will do it”, “everything will work out”. Don't forget to tell your child the life stories of great people who managed to achieve success despite their differences. Get him interested in the achievements of Julius Caesar and Alexander the Great. Surprise your child with the creative successes of Pablo Picasso and Leonardo da Vinci.

Be sure to ask your kindergarten teacher and school teacher to show tolerance. Calmly explain the same material 3-4 times.

If possible, purchase household items for left-handers. Place the desk lamp on the right so that nothing interferes with your child's concentration on homework.

How and how to help a left-handed child

1. A child should know that there are millions of people like him in the world. And among left-handers there are many gifted people. It will be useful to tell your child about such great left-handed people as Johann Sebastian Bach, Julius Caesar, Ludwig van Beethoven, Albert Einstein.
2. Parents need to initially inform teachers about the characteristics of their child upon entering kindergarten/school.
3. When studying at school, you need to repeat the material already studied with your child as often as possible. And also write memos and various templates.
4. Don’t forget about a properly organized workspace for your child. Lights and books should be on the right.

The most important rule is to love your child, no matter what.
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Left-handed and left-handed boys: is it worth retraining?

Trying to understand the difference between left-handedness and left-handedness only causes confusion. If for a child the left hand is considered the leading one, but the left hemisphere of the brain dominates, like in right-handed people, then retraining will take place without problems. But attempts to reshape the nature of left-handedness can end in failure. By forcing a child to write with his right hand, adults cannot make changes to his body - the right hemisphere will still remain dominant, but it will be more difficult for the child to cope with school and routine activities.

Usually left-handed people have neurological problems:

• Asthenic neurosis, which manifests itself in increased fatigue and decreased performance. Such children are active only in the first two lessons, and then the teacher has little chance of awakening their attention. Doing homework usually takes longer. In addition, children write with unstable handwriting.
• Obsessive-compulsive disorder is usually caused by a lack of mutual understanding between a left-handed person and his parents. Adults force the child to perform actions with his right hand. The left-hander tries to fulfill the requirements to please his parents. Adults perceive every failure as stubbornness or disobedience, for which punishment must follow. Subsequently, the left-handed person fears the anger of his parents, constantly thinks about his inferiority and experiences stress before written assignments.
• Enuresis caused by fear of imminent punishment. It is difficult for the child to concentrate and complete the task, which makes him even more nervous and suffers from urinary incontinence. This creates a vicious circle.
• A neurotic tic caused by excessive concentration on completing a task with the right hand. A left-handed person may lick his lips, wrinkle his forehead, twitch his nose, or wink.

To make your child successful, do not try to remake his nature. It’s better to focus on how to help your child navigate the world of right-handed people and accept his uniqueness.

Features of a left-hander

In right-handed children, the left hemisphere of the brain is more developed, which is responsible for analytical, logical thinking, speech, writing, and reading. Left-handers, on the contrary, have a developed right, which is responsible for emotionality, intuition, creativity, and impressionability. Both hemispheres of the brain control body movements, but doing so crosswise. The left hemisphere is responsible for the right side of the body, the right hemisphere for the left.

Around the world, 90% of people are right-handed, 9% are left-handed, and the rest are ambidextrous (both hands are dominant). Since 1976, August 13 has been celebrated everywhere as International Left-Handers Day. His goal is to attract discrimination against them in the world.

Left-handedness is not a pathology or a disease. Such children have many psychological characteristics, but this is only the result of the peculiar activity of the brain. A left-handed child is a creative person, he is sensitive and emotional. He cannot always control his emotions. Such children begin to talk later and have difficulty orienting themselves in space. But, at the same time, left-handed children are often very gifted, with extraordinary imagination and developed imaginative thinking. Lefties are artistic with a strong personality. As a rule, they care little about the material side of life, but they treat creativity with special trepidation. Creativity is their strong point; there is never a dull moment with such people. At the same time, left-handed children need special attention due to emotional instability and learning difficulties. It is very important to talk with them, encourage them, and help develop their strengths. With the right approach, such a child can achieve serious success in life.

If there is a left-handed child in the family, it is very important to purchase all the necessary equipment for him: a table, writing and drawing supplies, paper scissors. This will help him adapt faster and easier.

How to make life easier for a left-handed child?

Nature cannot be adjusted in a way that would be convenient for adults. The correct approach to the individual characteristics of the body will make life easier for a left-handed child. Adult peers should respect differences and not turn them into a reason for ridicule.

• Help your child organize the work area correctly. Make sure that your desk neighbor doesn't knock him in the side.
• Break down all motor actions into elementary components, teach a left-handed child to navigate in space.
• Develop your baby's visual perception. Make memory and attention trainers a regular way to spend time together. Do “Visual Search” together and play the game “Find the Changes”.
• Do not show intolerance or aggression towards left-handed people. Protect your child from inappropriate reactions from peers and teachers.
• Do not leave your child alone with homework that is difficult for him (a logic exercise or a mathematical problem).

Explain to your child that a left-handed child and a right-handed child think differently, but this will not make one smarter or dumber than the other.

How to determine whether a child is left-handed or right-handed?

If a child in preschool age prefers to perform many actions with his left hand, it is best for parents to go to a qualified specialist to accurately determine whether their beloved child is right-handed or left-handed.

Neuropsychologists have in their arsenal many specialized tests that help identify features of brain lateralization in childhood with one hundred percent accuracy.

However, even at home, parents will be able to determine on their own whether the child is left-handed or, at least, make a preliminary conclusion about the presence of left-handedness. The simplest method is activity control.

Adults need to keep track of which hand is the baby’s leading one when performing the following actions:

• spinning the top;
• throwing dice;
• collecting buttons;
• watering plants;
• using a toothbrush;
• pressing the switch;
• combing;
• working with a hammer and screwdriver;
• building a tower from cubes;
• sweeping;
• unscrewing the lid from the jar;
• wiping the tabletop;
• peeling an orange.

If the child performs the vast majority of the above actions with his left hand, there is reason to assume that he is left-handed. A neuropsychologist will be able to determine more accurately.

In addition, you can ask your child to look through a spyglass and kaleidoscope and listen to the clock ticking. This will make it clear that the child is left-handed, and not just left-handed.

Advantages of being left-handed

At first glance, it seems that in a right-handed world, lefties will have a hard time. They are forced to constantly adapt to what others are given by nature. However, after such life's wanderings, left-handed boys become more flexible and resilient. They are sensitive and irritable, but at the same time, they more easily achieve success in the creative field.

Advantages of being left-handed:

• Using hidden reserves - images, feelings and abstract thinking. What a child cannot explain logically, he tries to figure out.
• Success in fencing, tennis and boxing.
• Special abilities for painting, theater and literature due to imaginative thinking.
• Improved adaptation to harsh climatic conditions compared to right-handed people.
• Depth and richness of the inner world.
• The ability to think outside the box.

Left-handed boys and girls understand creative tasks, but “slip” when performing exercises aimed at logical thinking. That is why parents should use their imagination to teach such kids to cope with routine tasks on their own.

By nature, a left-handed person is an impressionable and creative person who needs constant approval. The support of parents and teachers will help to form a harmoniously developed personality, devoid of an inferiority complex and neuroses.

Psychological characteristics of left-handed children. Left-handed school problems

Svetlana Oskina

Psychological characteristics of left-handed children. Left-handed school problems

Psychological characteristics of left-handed children.

Left-handed school problems.

Throughout evolution, people who differed from the majority in some individual characteristics , for example, left-handed people , aroused interest and surprise. However, the attitude towards left-handed people , like other “black sheep”

was often wary and sometimes sharply negative.
“Traces”
of this attitude remain in many languages.
For example, in the Russian language there are still many examples of this kind. “Left product” is a product sold illegally , i.e. illegally, or a fake or counterfeit product. Similarly, one can consider the meaning of the phrases “left income”, “left money”, “in the left way”, etc. A similar connotation of the word “left” is also found in expressions not related to finance: “as the left leg wants”, “left side ”, “stand on your left foot ”, etc.
In English, the word “ left- ” has additional meanings: “clumsy”, “hypocritical”, “sinister”, “illegal”. Similar connections can be traced in French, Italian, Spanish, and German.

Considering the connection between language and consciousness, one should hardly be surprised at the negative stereotypical perception of left-handers by the “right-handed” majority.

Fortunately, in our time, when many stereotypes are being broken, the very concept of “norm” is becoming less rigid, and people are becoming more tolerant of various manifestations of individuality. Now the phenomenon of left-handedness is being studied a lot , the results of this work make it possible to change the stereotypical perception of left-handed people and gradually develop methods for teaching them. If earlier at school they tried to retrain left-handers, “adjust”

them for the right-handed class (and teachers, then now all teachers know that not only there is no need to remake nature, but also that an individual approach should be applied to
left-handed children and even other teaching methods should be used that are more natural for them and therefore more effective.
The study of the characteristics of left-handers is complicated by the fact that left-handers are not at all a homogeneous group. There are various reasons for left-handedness , on which the development of certain qualities in a child may depend. In addition, “hidden left-handedness ”

.
But that's not all. A child may be left-handed , but not completely left-handed . To understand the diversity of these manifestations, first of all, let’s distinguish between the concepts of “ left-handedness ” and “ left-handedness .”
Left-handedness determines only the dominant hand, while left-handedness is a complex characteristic that reflects greater activity of the right hemisphere of the brain (unlike right-handed people, in whom the left hemisphere ). Thus, if your child prefers to do everything with his left hand , then you can confidently say that he is left-handed . However, whether he is left-handed in general can only be judged after identifying his dominant eye, dominant leg and dominant ear. Usually special tests are carried out for this, but sometimes you can understand this by carefully observing the child (adult)

during activity, for example during sports. A person will often use only one of the paired organs in a more active form: pushing off with one leg; aim with one eye squinted and the other open; when it is hard to hear, turn to the sound source with one ear, etc.

When studying at school , of course, the most important characteristic is the leading hand, since the child will have to master such a complex activity as writing. Therefore, in the future we will mainly talk about left-handedness , however, other types of manifestations of left-handedness , since they can also affect the success of children's .

Now let's move on to the question of the causes of left-handedness . They may be different.

The most common is the so-called genetic left-handedness . To date, the exact mechanisms of transmission of this trait are not known, but it has been reliably established that left-handedness is 10-12 times more common in families in which at least one of the parents is left-handed Genetic left-handers may not have any developmental disorders, then this is considered simply an individual peculiarity, a variant of normal development.

The second type is “compensatory” left-handedness , associated with some kind of brain damage, more often - its left hemisphere . Since the activity of the right hand is mainly regulated by the left hemisphere, in the event of any injury or illness at an early stage of the child’s development, the right hemisphere can take over the corresponding functions. Thus, the left hand becomes the leading hand, that is, more active when performing everyday activities, and subsequently, most often, when writing.

A child with disturbances in the activity of one of the cerebral hemispheres will almost certainly experience deviations in the development of speech, motor skills, etc. It should be noted that left-handedness in this case cannot be considered as the cause of these deviations. They, like left-handedness , are a consequence of the same reasons.

The third type is “forced” left-handedness . The choice of the dominant hand in such left-handers is usually associated with an injury to the right hand, but can also be the result of imitation of family or friends.

Separately, pseudo-left-handedness . By a certain age (finally around 5 years)

in a child, one of the hemispheres is formed as dominant in relation to a given hand
(for example, in right-handed people -
the left hemisphere ) .
This happens normally. mental development also often occurs , when in the corresponding structures of the brain there is no development sufficient to organize the specialization of the hemispheres and their interaction with each other. In such cases, children do not develop a dominant hemisphere in relation to the hand. Then pseudo-left-handedness is observed or , what happens more often, approximately equal use of both hands. If you have reason to believe that is left-handed (or “two-handed”
) of this nature, then it is better to contact specialists and organize special classes to correct interhemispheric connections.
Often, after several lessons under the guidance of a psychologist , the child begins to write and draw with his right hand without any coercion.
In addition to all of the above, it is possible for children to develop the so-called “hidden left-handedness ,” i.e., a change in the dominant hemisphere. The moment of change is that critical period when the main functions of the central nervous system are evenly distributed between the two hemispheres, after which the right hemisphere begins to dominate. Such people can be conventionally called “ psychic ” left-handers or “hidden” left-handers , in the sense that their signs of left-handedness are not associated with left-hand .

So, we are once again convinced that the category of “ left-handed children characteristics from us . Thus, the question arises about the legitimacy and necessity of studying left-handers as such . I think that the majority will agree that the phenomenon of left-handedness needs to be studied , but it is necessary to take into account the versatility of this issue.

Let's get acquainted with the main positions in the description of the characteristics of left-handers .

Currently, there are several views on the natural abilities of left-handed people compared to right-handed people.

The first is based on the fact that indicators of behavior and neuropsychic activity in left-handers are worse than in right-handers. Proponents of this approach cite data on the frequency of left-handedness among patients with epilepsy, mental retardation, schizophrenia, and hereditary alcoholism, as well as the fact that, when becoming adults, these individuals retain low adaptive capabilities and a certain “fragility” of mental activity .

The second approach asserts the equality of abilities of right-handers and left-handers .

According to the third approach, left-handers have higher rates of neuropsychic activity and greater adaptive capabilities than right-handers. This is justified by the fact that a left-hander constantly has to adapt to a “right-handed” world (indeed, take such little things as scissors or turnstiles in the subway, created with right-handers in mind). The correctness of this approach can be demonstrated by citing a whole list of great left-handers , among whom are the Roman emperors Tiberius and Julius Caesar, generals Alexander the Great, Napoleon, scientists J. C. Maxwell, I. P. Pavlov, artists Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, writer Lewis Carroll, actor Charlie Chaplin, finally, US President W. Clinton and many others.

All three views on the abilities of left-handers have a right to exist, especially since in essence they correspond to the basic concepts of the emergence of left-handedness , and therefore do not contradict, but complement each other. In addition, the negative and positive properties of being left-handed may be two sides of the same coin. For example, there is evidence to suggest that connections between parts of the cerebral cortex located in different hemispheres are less rigid in left-handed people compared to right-handed people. Perhaps this is why left-handed people demonstrate , on the one hand, higher creative abilities (the rigidity of established connections can contribute to more standard thinking), and on the other hand, the formation of skills in activities that require the interaction of both hemispheres is slower compared to right-handed people.

Russian scientists conducted a study of the emotional sphere through the perception of smells. Based on the results of the study, it was concluded that right-handed people show greater sensitivity to positive emotions, while left-handed people and ambidextrous people are characterized by a predominance of negative emotions, i.e. they are more pessimistic.

To more accurately determine the individual characteristics of left-handed children, it is necessary to take into account the entire set of human asymmetries. Therefore, in modern psychology the term “individual profile of laterality of organization of functions” (PLO) is used, which denotes a certain combination of sensory and motor asymmetry.

To determine PLO (and thereby identify possible left-handedness )

A methodology has been developed that includes three groups of tests: to determine the leading hand, leading ear and leading eye. Sometimes the leading leg is also determined, although this information is not usually included in the analysis of the resulting profile.

Based on the relationship between all three types of asymmetry identified by this technique (“hand – ear – eye”), 27 individual profiles can be identified, where P is the predominance of the right function, L is the left , and A is equality of functions.

PLO options Type characteristics

PPP “pure” right-handers

PPA PAP PAA PAL PLA PPLLP PLL right-handed

AAA APP APA AAP ALL ALP AAL ALA ALL ambidextrous

BOB LPL LLP LPA LAP LLALAL LAA left-handed

LLL “pure” lefties

performance of both extreme options compared to the average left-handers ” and “pure right-handers.”

It has also been established that spatial tasks are performed least successfully by subjects with a mixed type of asymmetry (PAL, PLP, PAP)

.
Persons with moderate right-handedness and a high degree of dominance of the right ear are most productive in spatial tasks. Children with severe left-handedness exhibit a low level of voluntary (optional)
acceleration when transitioning from an optimal to a faster pace of work.

It is natural to assume other differences in the abilities of left-handers associated with the type of asymmetry.

The problem of school education for left-handers attracts the close attention of psychologists . According to a number of psychologists , left-handers experience particular difficulties adapting to school . According to some authors, the percentage of various kinds of left-handers among children with learning problems is at least 2.5 times higher than the average figures for right-handers.

Most often, left-handed children encounter difficulties in developing writing, reading and counting skills. The fact is that the starting point for mastering these skills is visual perception. Impaired or insufficient development of visual-spatial perception, visual memory and hand-eye coordination, often found in left-handed people , leads to the following difficulties:

1. perception and memorization of complex letter configurations when reading and, accordingly, a slow pace;

2. formation of a visual image of letters and numbers (violation of the correlation of elements, the child confuses letters and numbers with similar configurations, writes extra elements or does not complete elements of letters and numbers);

3. highlighting and distinguishing geometric shapes, replacing similar shapes (circle - oval, square - rhombus - rectangle)

;

4. copying;

5. unstable handwriting (uneven strokes, large, stretched, differently angled letters)

;

6. mirror writing of letters, numbers, graphic elements;

7. very slow pace of writing.

I would like to dwell in more detail on the reduced pace of writing and the phenomenon of mirror movements, as the most common and influencing the success of learning.

When a child writes, his activity consists of two alternating stages: the actual execution of the movement and the micropause necessary to control his movements, correct and program the next movement. The difference in the mechanisms of visual-motor coordination in left-handers and right-handers is manifested, first of all, in the different duration of these micropauses. Left-handers have longer micropauses both at the stage of skill formation and subsequently, when writing is already automated. Often in school practice, the teacher , trying to develop fast writing skills in such children , begins to urge them on, and when left-handed children are in a hurry , this leads to a reduction in micropauses, which are so necessary for controlling their actions. Thus, the quality of writing deteriorates, various kinds of errors arise, which can be interpreted by the teacher and parents as inattention.

Most parents of little left-handers . For some, it manifests itself in the form of mirror writing (the child begins to write with the letter that ends the word, then writes the second to last one, etc., so if you put a mirror to a written word, you will see the word written in the traditional way , but there are also mirror reading, mirror drawing, mirror perception.Adults, especially if they are right-handed , such features of the child can even be perceived as a kind of ability , however, unfortunately, such manifestations are often just a reflection of the difficulties of visual-spatial perception, right -left orientation , visual-motor coordination.

1. The frequency of mirror writing in left-handed children , according to research, is 85%. However, it should be noted that most children between the ages of three and seven years show spontaneous mirror writing, which is a common stage in mastering writing. Elements of mirror writing are also observed in children with unstable right-handedness: when mastering regular writing, mirror writing can appear suddenly in them, when the children are tired or inattentive.

2. According to numerous observations, a decrease in the frequency of manifestation of mirror writing and the complete disappearance of this phenomenon is usually observed after 10 years, since the phenomenon of mirror movements is closely related to the functional insufficiency of the corpus callosum, which reaches its functional maturity at this age. If, after this age, manifestations of mirror perception persist, then it is recommended to conduct a thorough analysis of the type of mirror movements, their causes and organize special classes that correct deficiencies in spatial perception, coordination, attention and self-testing skills.

Along with mirror writing, mirror drawing is often observed children especially characteristic when drawing: top and bottom, vertical and horizontal, right and left change places , and the child does not feel the wrongness. Such drawing is a manifestation of the child’s failure to master the basic principles of organizing space.

It is also necessary to say about reading impairments in some left-handers . For some, the causes of the impairment are predominantly visual-spatial in nature: children have difficulty perceiving a word as a whole. Others cannot grasp the connection between letter combinations and the concepts they represent.

One explanation for visuospatial difficulties may be unstable ocular dominance. Unstable ocular dominance can lead to impaired eye movements, making it difficult for a child to follow the order of letters and words on a page. left-handedness in itself does not cause the occurrence of reading disorders.

Considering the difficulties that left-handers encounter when studying at school , one cannot help but touch upon the issue of retraining left-handed children . Although, as mentioned above, such cases are becoming fewer and fewer, nevertheless, there are adults who, faced with the difficulties of teaching a child who is not like him, begin to doubt whether it would be easier to retrain the child and let it continue to be “like everyone else.”

.
To prevent even such doubts, I would like to remind you once again that we are talking not only about the leading hand, but about a certain organization of the brain. Therefore, the consequences of retraining can be disturbances in the tempo and rhythm of speech (according to statistics, every third child with a stutter is a retrained left-hander ), serious changes in the emotional state of the child (he can become hot-tempered, capricious, irritable, sleep restlessly, eat poorly). Later, more more serious disorders: frequent headaches, constant lethargy. As a result, neurotic reactions develop, for example, nervous tics, enuresis, or the functional state of the neuropsychic sphere , i.e., neurosis develops, for example, writer's cramp.
Manifestations of neuroses in left-handed children specifically were studied.

Left-handed children also often have school fears ( about failure at school , about written work, as a rule, in families where parents are anxious about left-handedness and believe that it can serve as an obstacle to success in educational activities.

All of the above convinces us that we cannot try to change nature in a way that is convenient for teachers and parents. Probably, in this situation, the best way out is to adapt to the characteristics of a left-handed child yourself and help him adapt to a right-oriented world.

There are a number of recommendations that, by implementing them in school teaching, can make life easier for such children:

1. It is necessary to help a left-handed person organize his workplace, change the tilt of the notebook when writing, change the position of the forearms, grasp the pen correctly, make sure that the light falls from the right;

2. one should not require left-handed people to write right-handedly; it would be more appropriate for them to write straight;

3. It is strictly contraindicated to require him to write continuously;

4. any motor actions must be broken down into elements, explained step by step, each element must be performed consciously;

5. It is advisable to perform special exercises, play games with the child that develop visual perception and hand-eye coordination;

6. it is necessary to work with the parents of a left-handed child , explaining to them the causes and consequences of the characteristics of their son/daughter , advising how to help the child overcome the objective difficulties that already exist and preserve the mental and physical health of the child;

7. never show a negative attitude towards left-handedness , use the characteristics of such a child in the class to instill in children respect for the individual characteristics of each person , tolerance towards the manifestation of properties that are not characteristic of the majority.

Let's sum it up

Seeing how the baby is unable to control a spoon, pen and toothbrush in his left hand, caring parents begin to ask the question “If my child is left-handed, what does that mean?” A superficial look at things already paints in the imagination of elders gloomy pictures of abuse of their child and problems in his adult life. Immediately after this, parents begin to look for ways to make the baby “normal.” This is usually accompanied by screams from adults and tantrums from children. As a result, the baby gets a whole bunch of neuroses and lags behind his peers.

However, with the correct use of resources, a left-handed child will achieve something that a right-handed child will never be able to achieve, and this means one thing: his peculiarity must be emphasized, and not masked. Convince yourself and your baby that nature cannot be changed. You just need to adapt to her whims. Provide your child with everything necessary for harmonious development - and he will definitely thank you in the future!