Visit our online shop for your left-handed productsUpdate on changing left-handers to right
Wow – this was a topic that generated a lot of interest. We have had over 150 comments left on the original article and more than 25,000 words written by members about their experiences. Here are a few extracts to give you a good flavour of the typical feedback:
- As a child I was forced to sit by myself when taking tests, because the teacher thought that I would cheat because I was left handed; that was after she tried on several occasions to put the pen in my right hand. Plus, I was told to turn my paper a certain way that did not work for me. Am sure the experience has left my scarred in some way or another. I felt ashamed that my teacher would think that I would cheat after spending hours learning my vocabulary words. And I became a shy little girl that did not often raise her hand, because to write on the chalkboard because everyone would see that I was different.
- My grandfather was left-handed and was forced to write right-handed as a child. He had a bad stutter. Then he got polio and his right hand was crippled. He was allowed to write left-handed and lost his stutter.
This is a long one but is a great example of exactly what we were talking about in our original article and I guess a lot of people have had similar experiences, though maybe not quite as pronounced. Our thanks to Alan MG for sharing
- From the age of 5 to the age of 26 I considered my self right handed and right footed and right eye dominant, but I suffered very bad symptoms which were detrimental to my learning through all those years. (including poor concentration, poor memory recall, reading difficulties and a very neurotic personality and physical tiredness) After visiting a family doctor when I was 19 and getting no diagnosis or cure I began what was to become 7 years of searching for the cause , I finally found out by chance discovery it was because of misuse of my co-ordination and that I should be doing everything left handed and left footed, and even the muscles on my face had been affected causing me to find it difficult to smile properly etc. With a theoretical understanding of the cause of the symptoms now gained, I proceeded to use my left hand for everything and walk to my left foot with a realization that this must never stop if I wanted to recover. Gradually the symptoms went away. Handwriting with the subordinate hand, all my life up to then had been the main inducer of the symptoms, possibly because of the levels of concentration and dexterity required for handwriting. Muscular imbalance and force of habit had disguised my natural tendency to the left. It was just as important to reduce use of my right hand and right foot, as it was to transfer duties to my left hand and left foot to enable recovery.
- Recovery took me many years partly because of my age(26 at the time, I am now 48), the duration and intensity of the symptoms suffered and the disruption in social interaction during what should have been my formative years. Basically having to learn many things that the neurosis induced had stopped me learning. Now I can get on with people a lot better, and be a much more efficient worker and am a lot happier.
The cause of the symptoms was much more difficult for me to find as I had retained no memory of being coerced into writing with my right hand at school in 1967 when I was 5 years old. It must have happened from bigotry in the school system in my country (Scotland) at the time because my parents never showed any attitude towards handedness ever.
There are many more stories like his and we would like to thank all members who have shared their experiences and hope they help others realise that “it is not just them”.
Alan referred to some research by Dr Barbara Sattler, who we have mentioned before and who Keith and Lauren went to meet in Luxembourg not long ago to give a presentation (seen on the left in the picture, with us on the right). She has written a book and lots of research papers on this and there are some good links here (if a bit technical). Unfortunately the book is only available in German but this is a summary of what she has to say about the effects of forcibly changing a child’s handedness…
Converting handedness does not result in a change in cerebral dominance but rather a multifaceted cerebral disturbance or damage. This can result in the following primary disorders:
disturbances in memory for all three areas of information processing (encoding, storage, and recall);
- difficulty in concentration (early fatigue);
- difficulty in reading and spelling
- spatial disorientation (e.g. confusion of left and right);
- speech problems ranging from stammering to stuttering;
- fine motor disturbances evident in writing and other activities requiring precision.
The primary consequences can then go on and transform into secondary consequences:
- feelings of inferiority;
- shyness; introversion; overcompensation;
- defiance to belligerence; braggadocio; provocative behavior;
- bed-wetting;
- nail-biting;
- emotional problems that can last into adulthood with neurotic and/or psychosomatic symptomology; and personality disturbances
So basically – if you are thinking of making a left-handed child write right-handed, DON’T DO IT!
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Something today told me to start researching my lifelong question, “why was I forced to learn to write with my right hand”. I’m a left by birth and now in my 50′s. I’m a very creative type and love art. I remember having to learn to eat and write with my right hand and hearing that there was a stigma to being a lefty. I’m so glad that I found this site.
Has anyone in similar circumstances relearned how to write/eat/use their left hand as dominate?
Thank you kindly
I think it’s ridiculous that people think that just because we’re lefties our penmanship will be awfull; there are 3 left handeds in my class, me and two boys. Most boys never have a pretty handwrite, one of them is menatlly challenged and the other is just dumb, they both have the worst handwrite, i can’t say much about me because mine is just scribbles (like their handwrite but for once is legible and nobody complains, it’s kind of unique).
Yet who’s got the worst handwrite? A right-handed kid who doesn’t even hold a pencil correctly. He keeps his fist completly clasped like if he’s stabbing something.
Your handwrite reflects your personality; not your dominant hand.
Hi, I’m Isaac Osobukola, a year 12 student. I am researching into effects of forced change on handedness. Do you really change your natural handedness? To do this I need to collect a lot of data from those who have not been forced to change their handedness and those who have. I assure you that any data you provide is strictly confidential and would not be passed to any 3rd party. Please fill in this quick survey. Thanks for your cooperation.
http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/WEB22CVTAQ3ZDV
As well as being left-handed I was diagnosed a while back with dyspraxia which further drove problems in terms of writing and general coordination/concentration. Thankfully my primary school was very supportive with me on both counts so now the situation has much improved, and I don’t remember ever having a teacher who tried to force me to write with my (so-called) right hand. Though my mum has told me that when I was in pre-school I picked up a pencil with my left hand and one of the other mothers told me off for this and put it in my right hand – Mum, also being left-handed, told her to back off right away.
I’m now 20 and studying Physics, currently on an exchange year in Germany – as I have done for the past few years I use a computer for most of my writing nowadays but still left-handed for writing. Strangely though I have an odd tendency with my hands – essentially my left is “precision” and my right is “power” – so I will write, paint, play pool/snooker and such with my left hand but use my right for golf, darts etc (and even some low-intensity things like using a computer mouse, TV remote, Wii controller and such). – and cutting things for cooking is variable day-to-day it seems!
As a side note, an interesting coincidence – I was actually born on International Left Handers’ Day! So I guess it’s only appropriate that I am left handed!
I too remember the rH writing seats at Mass Lectures !! But there was no discrimination in the UK as far as I knew. I qualified as a Teacher and there was no mention of my handedness! In fact writing on a board I was not in the way of my writing for the students as I wrote as with RH people.
I did have some problems with slammering too, but was able to overcome it. It is difficult when so many things are designed the wrong way about, at least now computers give you the option to be Lefthanded. Mine is set for use with my left hand as well as the pointer on the screen the otherway about.
Read the information on people being forced as school
children to use their right hand although plainly left-handed. At
infant school, when first beginning to use a pencil, I was forced to
use the pencil with my right hand. The result was a distressing
stammer and consequent bullying by some other kids. My mother came to
see the Headmistress and read her the riot act regarding my treatment
and ever after I was allowed to be left-handed in writing and other
activities. Thank you Mum!
Does anyone know if it works the same way with RH, my son(14) is LH but has all those symtoms that you describe in the article. I wonder if he is RH instead.
We enjoy reading your articles, it help us alot to understand LH. Thank you
Being a leftie has given me lots of attention from people in public. I have a pretty penmanship, and my way of turning my left hand to write is interesting to people. It has give me some needed attention in my younger days since i didn’t get any from my parents.
The most important question I would like to ask here is…is there any proof that (similar to people’s experiences) going back to being Left-Handed (if it is at all possible in a complete way) will undo any “cerebral disturbance” as the article puts it. I have read more than my share of articles and medical papers telling of various “bad things” that happen due to change in hand dominance,…does going back undo it, are our brains elastic enough for that, or is it too late in most cases? Of course I have no doubt that age might play a role here, so lets say you go back around your 20′s.
Anyone have any answer to that?
-Tj
As a leftie and a former elementary teacher, I am strongly against trying to make a leftie do the work of a rightie. The important thing is that a child establish a dominance. Whether it is left or right is not important.
I have the IQ of a genius, but my second grade teacher tried to make me write right handed. It didn’t work. Other teachers told me I would never have pretty penmanship. I had the best of all the class.
Let lefties turn their paper in the direction that is comfortable for them. They will do it “right.” I ordered some left handed scissors for my grandson who is in K. I do know that it is important for lefties to have these. I didn’t have them and had to look in an awkward way at the line as I cut things.
Never criticize a leftie. Make them know they are as smart and capable and the other righties.
I put alot of my insecirities down to a family environment that was very unstable; a weak tiny 5′ mother married to a large 6′ 2” aggressive, bullying, violent man (I believe he was left handed, probably Dyslexic forced into right handedness, rapted knuckles etc, born in the 30′s). Anyway having read the comments of other left handers I am not so sure anymore.
I spent years feeling inadequate, made to look and feel different that I was not ‘good enough’. I recognise and sympathise with so much that has been said it horrifies me.
Dr Sattlers’ research is almost alarming I recognise so many of the points she makes within myself. Although it has taken me the best part of 50 years to overcome most of my problems. I believe I am reasonably well balanced now, but do still suffer with crippling insecurity, stammering under stress, lack of concerntration at times couldn’t read until I was ten, early nail bitter and definately do the over compensating bit to an alarming degree and I know I am doing it too.
I also have a husband that thinks joining the left handed club is a joke another bandwagon for people to jump on. He is right handed and really doesn’t have a clue how arkward life can be sometimes. Sure we have all learnt to adapt in our own ways it becomes second nature. But a little bit of understanding of our plight could go along way. It does often make me angery that right handed people can be so condescending of us lefties. Maybe I am the product of a disfunctional family or is it just coincidence I am left handed, I will never know.
To end on a lighter note I was taught to knit by a right hander as a consequence now knit both left and right handed (at the same time), following a pattern is very slow going and confusing. It was my first jumper, when my mother realised something was wrong I had doubled everything because I was knitting both directions (to great hilarity as my arms would have been about 3′ long). I have to really concerntrate to knit to a pattern even now. Unless you are a knitter you would not have a clue what I am talking about.
I am sorry to hear of Alan MG’s problems but I find it hard to believe that he experienced such anti-left hand ‘bigotry’ in the school system in Scotland as late as 1967. My father did experience it in the 1920s.
However, I am older than Alan MG and never heard of, or experienced, such practices in my part of Scotland (Fife), at any rate . In fact, my Primary 7 teacher made sure all of us ‘corrie-fistit’ pupils in the class had special left-handed nibs on our pens for our weekly exercise in writing in ink.
My mother, brother and sister are right-handed and my father left-handed. I am VERY left-handed: when learning to read as a child books went flying on a regular basis through frustration; I kept undoing screws, nuts etc. when trying to tighten them; throughout my school years I would be sent home on a regular basis and would sleep for upwards of 24 hours at a time; I became shy, introverted and thought that I was slow and stupid because it took me much longer than my siblings to learn things.
No-one could understand why I could sleep so much, far more than was necessaary of healthy, until a doctor diagnosed depression; the medication has helped but I still felt something wasn’t quite right.
Having read your article and relating to many of the symptoms, I now realise that having to unlearn and relearn how to do things in a RH world has been a major factor in the mental exhaustion and subsequent need to sleep!
Just recently my husband complained bitterly after trying to use my left-handed scissors and I quietly pointed out to him that, ‘now he has some insight into how difficult it can be being LH and having to adapt to a RH world.
Thank you for your hard work in producing the newsletters and sourcing LH items – it is much appreciated
Louise
Did you finally make the change? Did it help? Your story sounds awefully familiar. Although I remember the days I kept being forced to eat or write left handed like they were yesterday, the seriousness of it did not occur to me until recently….I sleep a *lot*, and i too was diagnosed with depression. The left/right thing..forget it, I can’t tell you how many times I failed a driving test cuz i turned the wrong way.
I am a left handed person who was forced to write with my right hand as a child, the teacher would use the sharp edge of a ruler to wrap my knuckles of my left hand when I was seen to be using it. Needless to say I hated her( I do not think this is too stronger word) and at the age of five years I did not understand what was happening. I still wrote with my left hand but learned not to get caught. It wasn’t untill I left that class and entered into the next one at about seven years that I started to learn, the teacher was wonderful and being left handed was never an issue to her ( she was a young teacher).
I hope that the book written by Dr. Barbara Suttler becomes available in English, I do share a lot of the issues listed such as, confusion of left and right, difficulty in reading and spelling, nail biting and many more. One trait which I find to be useful is defiance as it has enabled me to achieve.
The information I have learned from the newsletter has helped many people including through me, my clients. I am a Psychotherapist and Counsellor, over the past few months I have recognised some of the issues with my clients and been prompted to ask “Are you by any chance left handed” each time so far the answer has come back as “yes why?” The information is changing peoples lives from distress to understanding and finding some answers to their problems.
I had my left hand tied to the chair behind my back. [public school] I still use my left hand for a lot of things . I eat better with my left hand play ball thread a needle cut meat etc. it does cause problems like stated above I was left back two times in grammar school.
hei…its interesting to hear all those experiences from u all….
i think now parents and teachers had better gone to another level and started accepting the children the way they are because its nature for some one to use their left hands or foot other wise some teachers especially in the beginning classes can make left handed children s lives a misery.
love u all.
veron Uganda.
Hi I am now 51 years old but when i was at Primary School myself & others were actually caned for writing with are left hands. It never changed us though. Fancy that happening today ?
I am probably a good example and very typical of a middle aged left handed person.
When my sister was born, she is 7 years older than me, I stayed with an aunt who tried to force me to write with my right hand. This was only for 2 months, while my sister was sick, but it had such an effect that when I returned to school I had to have extra hand writing lessons, thankfully with my left hand. These were labourious and painstaking drills and because it was a special class it made me feel different to the others. To make matters worse we had to use fountain pens which I found out in later left are normally always set for a right hander. When you use them left handed you tend to scratch the paper. As an adult I love gel pens because the ink flows so well.
But growing up in a right handed world I had to train myself to use my right hand.
Eating at the table my father insisted that I eat “right handedly” i.e.knife in the RH, fork in the LH. But then I would change the knife to the LH for buttering bread. Luckily I was allowed to eat my pudding with my left hand. (Perhaps it is not so obvious when only using one hand at the table).
There were no LH scissors back then so had to learn to use them LH. No easy task when you have a dominant left eye.
I got a job in the telecoms industry and found that all the equipment is set for RH. So I had to learn to use pliers etc in my RH. Which I still do to this day.
I have an excellant memory for the facts and figures for my job but I cannot remember dates, I forget birthdays, anniversaries etc and sometimes even forget how old I am.
On the bright side there are some distinct advantages for the LH person.
1) Hold the phone in the RH write with the LH
2) Move mouse with the RH write with the LH
3) All my personal files are set LH so I know if someone (RH) has touched them.
4) I can paint walls with both hands, so when one arm is tired I can change over.
Summing up I believe that it is a RH world but LH people have an advantage because we have to learn to adapt and at some points in our life we have to use both hands.
I feel so fortunate to have had a father who was also left handed. My Dad was born in 1908 first generation American from an English mother who happened to be right handed. My father was her only left handed child. My father had beautiful handwriting by the way. I was born in 1945, the youngest of 4, the only girl and the only left handed child. My father taught me how to correctly write with my left hand and fought the school system when he needed to. I consider myself so fortunate because I’m able to use both hands equally as well with the exception of writing. I grew up in an era without left handed devices and adapted to using right handed scissors…etc. I bowl and swing a bat for baseball right handed, I used to drive them crazy playing tennis because of my adaptability. I have been tested for dexterity and they are amazed at my speed. With all this said; I had two sons, the first born was left handed and was given everything available for a left handed person. When I would hand him something and his left hand was full, he would respond he couldn’t take the item. He seemed to almost deny his right side totally. He was an extremely bright child except for the challenge of ignoring his right side.
I do not believe in changing a left hand person to right hand however, I believe when left handed people are exposed to right hand equipment we can adapt because of our brain patterns which is totally different than a right handed person’s patterns especially speech patterns. We can become ambidextrous and more balanced. This is just my opinion and would appreciate any comments.
When I went to school in the 1940s my father insisted I be left as left-handed and thankfully the young teacher allowed me to be. I later discovered that he had had his left hand tied behind his back to force him to write right handed and for all his long life he wrote legibly but slowly. He did insist I ate right-handed – for consideration of others, but I do have to spread bread left-handed.
I sew left-handed but knit right (my granny said there were no left-handed patterns?!) and I was in my 30′s before I learnt to crochet by a friend teaching me mirror-wise. I wonder if there will ever be a left-handed sewing machine.
I have one ambidexterous son, one cross-lateral daughter (she was the only one who could swim straight up the pool on her back!), and another left-handed son but all three write left-handed. I wonder what my grandchildren will be?
My mother disapproved of me knitting LH, and said I would never be able to follow a pattern. [My Nana, a RH worked out how to knit LH,then taught me.] I was 9 when 1st taught to knit.
When I was 22, I ‘relearned’ after buying a book called Left-handed Knitting. Soon I was completing projects, that Mother considered ‘too difficult’ for herself. Yet she would still ask if I ‘Still knitted Lefthanded.”
I am left handed and I think I ‘made’ my daughter left handed……
She writes with her left hand but everything else she does ‘right handed’ i.e. volley ball, football, eats.. her right hand is her dominant hand.
I think that by my being left handed and by handing her things diagonally i.e. from left hand to left hand that she is left handed but not a ‘true’ left hander. Any thoughts……
Mel:
I don’t think that you as a left handed person made your daughter lefthanded. I have the same situation in one of my sons, the eldest one writes with his left hand, but for other things he uses his right hand. I don’t think I caused this, because I am a right handed person.
Actually, pyialng guitar or bass guitar requires both dexterity and rhythm. The only difference is on your standard bass guitar you have four strings and on your standard guitar there are two more strings.You can play chords on either, but only the guitar is designed to play chords.If you’re just wanting to play for your own edification, then get an inexpensive starter bass kit (you can find one at Wal-Mart or Costco for around $120 complete with a small amp, and chord and a book) But buy an Ernie Ball Beginning Bass Book, (about $5) if it’s not included with the kit and have at it.You don’t need to learn play guitar, in fact although the two instruments are extremely similar the theory behind them is very different.Guitar is a rhythm section Axe, but only when it’s comping.Bass and drums are THE rhythm section. So in a typical sense the bass plays differently than the guitar.Look at your typical sheet music and you’ll see it’s broken down into treble (G) clef or right hand piano, and bass (F) clef or left hand piano.Learning to play any instrument takes some effort but if you’re clear from the start about where it is you want to go with your pyialng, which you seem to be, it can be fun and rewarding.
i write with my right (i am adopted but dont know if my birth parents are left handed) but most else i do left. i can do some things left or right , but its mainly left. my parents(the ones that adopted me) and siblings are all right handed but im the only lefty
When I was in infant school and learning to write I was made to write right handedly. I developed a stutter and became distressed by this. When my mother discovered what was happening, she went to the school to complain and insist that I should be allowed to write with my left hand. The school complied with this and my stutter vanished.
My mother taught me to knit. She was right handed and I am not. Consequently despite the fact I enjoy this craft activity to this day I am the world’s slowest knitter as it feels very stilted to me. I suppose I could re-train myself – someone in my knitting club has done this – but am too busy at the moment to concentrate on this. Maybe when I retire!!!
I was wondering what is the most recent occurrence of a child being punished by a school teacher here in the UK for being left handed and forced to write right handed. Are parents aware this could be happening?
i am the mother of an eleven yr. old, who has found it difficult to learn. i did not know that learning would be so difficult for her. but thanks to the LEFT-HANDED CLUB i am much more equipped to help my daughter. your newsletters with all of these products and information help a lot of lefties, and also right handed people out there understand what it like to be left-handed. thank u. keep up all the good work you all are doing.
I remember in grade school in Memphis, Tn. there were only right handed desks in the classes. I couldn’t write properly on them so I refused to use them. I would sit in them in class, but any class work that involved writing or drawing, I would’t do. They sent me to the principal’s office and I explained that I just couldn’t do it properly in those desks.
Well, they finally found a left handed desk that was wobbly and ugly. To make it worse, they made me sit at that desk OUTSIDE of the classroom. that;’s right, outside of the room. The teacher would send a classmate outside of the room to make sure I hear the lessons.
This effected me for years, but i am glad I stayed true to my left hand.