Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site unc.unc.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!cmcl2!seismo!lll-crg!dual!qantel!ihnp4!mhuxn!mhuxr!ulysses!burl!clyde!bonnie!akgua!mcnc!unc!fsks From: fsks@unc.UUCP (Frank Silbermann) Newsgroups: net.med,net.kids,net.social Subject: Changing Left-handedness to Right-handedness Message-ID: <127@unc.unc.UUCP> Date: Sat, 10-Aug-85 18:02:25 EDT Article-I.D.: unc.127 Posted: Sat Aug 10 18:02:25 1985 Date-Received: Mon, 19-Aug-85 04:59:59 EDT Reply-To: fsks@unc.UUCP (Frank Silbermann) Organization: CS Dept, U. of N. Carolina, Chapel Hill Lines: 21 Xref: linus net.med:1860 net.kids:1554 net.social:827 Summary: Is it bad? If so, why? References: A friend's preschooler always seemed to prefer using his left hand. His mother has been trying to change him into a right hander. She bought him a toy baseball glove for right handers, and when she takes out the coloring books, she instructs him to use his right hand "so he'll have fewer problems when he goes to schood." When he was a toddler, she refused to hand him any candy, toys, or other objects until he finally reached with his right hand. The boy is generally obediant, so he uses his right hand for printing his name and coloring, though his coordination is much worse than other children his age. Though this attempt to switch hand preference may work, I wonder whether it might have bad repurcussions later. Do any readers know of any psychological or social problems that can be caused by the attempt to change a child's "handedness"? How might this affect his learning ability in school, his aptitude for sports, and his social self-confidence? Frank Silbermann