Left hand or Right? How is it Determined?

Normally, brain is cross wired to the body, so that the left handed side of the brain controls the right side of the body and right side of brain controls the left side of the body. But, due to cross wiring here, the left side becomes the dominant side of the body.

[the_ad id=”14222″]

So, when do you come to know that your child has a left preference?

Most children use both hands till 4 years age and some can do it till 6 years age. Preference can start at the age of 2 or 3, while in some as early as 18 months. It is usually established till 4 years age.

So, if your child is using left hand before 4 years of age, don’t draw conclusions.

Why does it happen?

Hand dominance is greatly influenced by genetics. If both you and your partner are left-handed, your child has a 45 to 50 percent chance of being left-handed as well. If neither parent is left handed, the chance shrinks greatly. 1 out of every 10 people are left handed.

So, is there something we as parents should be doing?

Don’t try to change his hand dominance as it hardly matters
If your child is being teased by other children, reassure him. Tell him many great people are lefties like Amitabh Bachchan, Barack Obama, Leonardo Da Vinci, Bill Gates, etc
Help him navigate when he gets stuck in a particular functionality e.g. writing in a particular way or dancing
Tell them that they have a distinct advantage in sports due to their hand preference

What if I force my child to use his right hand?

Natural left handers should always be left to develop in their own natural way and be allowed to write left handed. Forcing them to change hands can have effects in later life. Some of the bad effects that could happen: