Re: Left-handers and learning

Phil Graham (pw.graham who-is-at student.qut.edu.au)
Thu, 11 Feb 1999 16:22:23 +1100

This is like Matt. In fact, sometimes he gets confused when he does things
like hitting a tennis ball. He wants to hold the racquet one way (with his
left hand), but then wants to swing from a right-hander's forehand
perspective. The result is an interesting set of confused movements on
occasions, even though he's very well coordinated. He throws right-handed
(extremely accurately), but sometimes uses his left with equal accuracy but
less strength. He definitely writes left-handed and uses his left hand for
most intricate activities.

It's really an eye-opener to see how he manipulates space.

Thanks for the other comments, Anthony, Ken, & Daniel.

I find it hard to believe that left-handedness and addiction go together
and will read the research with interest. At any rate, as a dry alcoholic
and a former addict of various stripes, it'd be hard to say - if my child
turned out to be an addict, which I hope with all my heart he doesn't -
whether it was due to his left handedness, my (apparently) inbuilt
proclivities passed on genetically (alcoholism runs on both sides of mine
and my ex-wifes families), or his social environment.

Phil

At 21:56 10-02-99 -0500, you wrote:
>Oh boy. Now you've got me thinking. My almost-6 year old is ambi. I don't
>mean "hasn't developed a preference", I mean ambi. He writes right-handed,
>eats left-handed (actually fork left-handed and chopsticks right-handed),
>colors both-handed but more often right, ties his shoelaces exactly mirror
>image from the way I do it (I'm a rightie), switch-hits......
>
>Tane Akamatsu
>
>
>
>Phil Graham wrote:
>
>> Does anyone know much about differences in the ways left-handed people
>> learn stuff (indeed, do they learn fundamentally differently? Does it have
>> anything to do with left-right handedness ? I dunno ...). I ask because I
>> watched a small triumph as my son Matt (6) finally learned to tie his
>> shoelaces.
>>
>> When he managed to do it, the way he did it was not only completely swapped
>> around from left to right from the way I had continually shown him, but
>> also from front to back. Watching him overcome a relatively large obstacle,
>> it dawned on me how completely differently from me he interprets suff
>> spatially. I've noticed differences before, but this particular instance
>> really exaggerated the different way he sees stuff to me and the other
>> right-handers he's surrounded by.
>>
>> Phil
>>
>>
>> Phil Graham
>> pw.graham who-is-at student.qut.edu.au
>> http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Palms/8314/index.html
>
>
>
>
>
>
Phil Graham
pw.graham who-is-at student.qut.edu.au
http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Palms/8314/index.html