Most children show a clear hand preference in their everyday activities, including eating, writing, brushing their teeth and playing. The majority of children -- and adults -- in the world are right-handed. International Children's Education, a division of SIL International Partners in Language Development, estimates that 90 percent of the world prefers to use the right hand. Hand preference in children is a normal developmental milestone that does not need to be corrected, but observed and encouraged.
Development
Hand preference begins usually in toddlerhood, between the ages of 2 and 4. Children of this age still use both hands for certain tasks, including coloring or eating, but may start to use one hand more than other more consistently. By the time a child enters kindergarten, usually between the ages of 4 and 6, hand preference is clear. Parents who are not sure which is their child's dominant hand can test their theories without their child's knowledge. Place crayons or eating utensils in front of the child so that they are equidistant from each hand. Your child will most often pick up the implement with his dominant hand.
Encouragement
Once you are aware of your child's hand preference, encourage her to use her stronger hand for most activities to develop strength. Australia's Royal Children's Hospital suggests using language that your young child understands, calling her dominant hand a "doing hand." Teach your child to take breaks during tiring writing tasks and to hold scissors, pencils and forks correctly with her preferred hand. Give plenty of positive feedback.
Autism and Hand Preference
Children with autism show an unusually high rate of ambidexterity, according to the June 2001 issue of the "Journal of Autism and Development Disorders." The journal published findings showing that children with autism are not ambidextrous due to a lack of motor development, as was previously thought. Children with other, non-autistic developmental delays also showed a lack of motor skills in some cases, but with clear hand preference. Children with autism who had a clear hand preference scored higher in language assessment and cognitive tasks than those who did not consistently use one hand over the other.
Left-Handed Tips
Children who are left-handed may have poorer handwriting than their peers who are right-handed. Some of the perceived lack of dexterity may not be from the fact that a child is left-handed, but that most of the world is set up to accommodate right-handed people. International Children's Education explains that children who are left-handed can benefit from a number of adjustments while writing. A number 3 pencil is harder than the number 2 pencil preferred by most schools, and will not smudge as much; a child who writes with his left hand is most likely to rest his hand on the writing he has already put on the paper than a right-handed writer. Tilting the paper to the left instead of placing the sheet directly in the center of the desk can also facilitate neater writing.
References
- Royal Children's Hospital: Occupational Therapy: Hand Preference
- "Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders"; Hand Preference and Motor Functioning in Children With Autism; J. Hauck et al.; June 2001
- International Children's Education; Left-Handed Children in a Right-Handed World; Wayne Lance; August 1998
- International Children's Education; Handwriting Tips for Left-Handers; August 1998
