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From: jeand@ihlpg.UUCP (AMBAR)
Newsgroups: net.med,net.kids,net.social
Subject: Re: Changing Left-handedness to Right-handedness
Message-ID: <1080@ihlpg.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 14-Aug-85 14:57:49 EDT
Article-I.D.: ihlpg.1080
Posted: Wed Aug 14 14:57:49 1985
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> 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.
> 
> 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"?
> 
> 	Frank Silbermann

My parents are both natural leftys (though my brother and I are both naturally
right-handed; any geneticists want to explain that one?).  My father was
allowed to be left-handed; while my mother was switched over as Frank
describes above, although her parents began as soon as she could reach for
objects.  On the positive side, she has beautiful handwriting with either
hand, and she is capable of simultaneous mirror writing.  On the negative
side, she is slightly dyslexic (especially with numbers).  I don't think
that left-handers (from observing my father and left-handed friends) have
enough trouble dealing with a right-handed world to warrant causing any
more hemisphere/dominance problems that the child already has.

On a related topic, has anyone noted a high correlation between left-handedness
and 'intelligence' (as measured/used/defined by schools and so forth)?  As
I think about it, most of the left-handed people I know are smarter than
average.

				AMBAR       
		Until Aug. 16 -->   	    {*ANYTHING*}!ihnp4!ihlpg!jeand
"I told you when I *MET* you that I was crazy, and you weren't listening!"