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Path: utzoo!utcs!lsuc!pesnta!kima
From: kima@pesnta.UUCP (5)
Newsgroups: net.med,net.kids,net.social
Subject: Re: Changing Left-handedness to Right-handedness
Message-ID: <2820@pesnta.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 22-Aug-85 15:47:46 EDT
Article-I.D.: pesnta.2820
Posted: Thu Aug 22 15:47:46 1985
Date-Received: Fri, 23-Aug-85 19:27:46 EDT
References: <127@unc.unc.UUCP>
Reply-To: kima@pesnta.UUCP (Kim Alan Althoff)
Organization: Perkin-Elmer DSG/CSD, Santa Clara, Ca.
Lines: 37
Xref: utcs net.med:2106 net.kids:1700 net.social:862
Summary: No problems here

In article <127@unc.unc.UUCP> fsks@unc.UUCP (Frank Silbermann) writes:
>
>A friend's preschooler always seemed to prefer using his left hand.
>His mother has been trying to change him into a right hander.
>
>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

As I was changed from left-handedness to right-handedness by much the same
procedure, I can verify that it may work.  (That is, I won't say that all
such attempts WILL work.)  The person mostly responsible for my change in
handedness was my first grade teacher.  She would always put the coloring
crayons in my right hand even taking them from my left hand.  I was too
shy to return the crayon to the left hand.  Needless to say, I did very
poorly in coloring.  (For those who may doubt that I was left handed, both
of my parents and my older brother can verify that I ate almost exclusively
left handed before going to school.)

Did the change in handedness affect my psychologically or socially?  No!
While I may not be the most psychologically sound individual and some might
describe me as a social misfit, I don't see any connection at all to the
change in my handedness.

I am now totally right-handed and have been since second or third grade.  My
handwriting is atrocious and I print almost exclusively.

kima