Changing right back to left

05 Aug 2013 Anything Left-Handed Children & Teachers, Changing Handedness

Changing a forced right-hander back to left-handed

We have had a lot of articles and discussion about naturally left-handed children being forced to change from writing with their left hand to using their right and the adverse effects that can have:

We received an email recently from Virginia that asked about dealing with the consequences of this and whether it is possible to change a child (or adult) back to being fully left-handed and whether that would solve the various problems that had been created by the initial change.

Subject: Left-handed to right-handed. Can it be reversed? I'm a teacher and one of my students (he's 13 now), who has been also diagnosed with dyslexia, has a very poor writing and literacy problems, was forced to change from left-handed to right-handed. All his family was left-handed and, apparently, they didn't want him to be lefty too. I wonder if the process can be reversed and if this would help him to sort those problems out, or if trying to regain his left-handed abilities would make things even worse. Can you help me?

We are not aware of any studies or research results in this are but Keith looked through all the comments on the previous articles on this subject and there have been a couple that are relevant and do seem to be encouraging for Virginia and her pupil. That said, this is a very complicated area and we cannot make any recommendations or give advice on particular cases. We had a comment added by Rick about the way his daughter was changed from left to right-handed and that prompted a reply from Jayne about her own experiences:

It isn’t too late for her to change back, in fact, she may benefit from it. Throughout my life, I’ve been clumsy. My handwriting was horrendous, legible but ugly, and arts and crafts were just embarrassing. I had trouble eating without being called rude for scraping the plate or being unable to twist my pasta correctly. When I was 17, however, all became clear when my family and I learned that I had in fact sustained a nerve injury at birth that went undiagnosed. I was really left handed-but the weakened arm was unusable for fine motor tasks so I switched to using my right hand when I was a toddler. The good news was this-since I was 17, my nerves had had time to heal a bit, and I had a chance to regain my original handedness. It’s slow and arduous. One must not use the right hand for any fine motor task unless 100% necessary. It takes 3 weeks for the hand to be on par with the right. After this time, the left hand will slowly improve to surpass it. I’m approaching Week Five. My left hand writing is slightly better than my right-your daughter’s hand will likely progress faster because she has no nerve damage. Either way, I’m seeing my font begin to develop style and character, and it feels way more natural.

We also had a comment from Kristin about her experiences with her own daughter:

I mistakenly taught my daughter to write with her right hand even though I knew she was left handed. I had NO idea this had an effect on her brain. She was having trouble with school work so I took her to a neurodevelopmental therapist and they suggested having her do all of her activities left handed. She had to do several activities a day left handed: eating, writing 2x for 15 minutes, coloring, drawing, and fine motor skills activities. In about a month she was completely switched to left. I have to correct her some times b/c she’ll color right. She is more comfortable doing this but that is out of habit. Her writing is so much better now and her focus is getting better. Now they have me covering her right eye 3 hours a day with a patch to switch her eye dominance. It switched almost immediately but I’m to continue for 3 months. They also have her wearing an ear plug in her right ear all day. This is to get the brain back to using the right side and to cut off any of the damage I did when I encouraged her to be right handed. I thought it would make life easier for her but how wrong I was! The good news is, it seems easy to switch back with a few months of determination.

So, there are definitely some cases where the effort to change back has proved worthwhile, but we know that the vast majority of changed left-handers never get to do that. As noted before, we really cannot make recommendations on specific cases or offer any individual advice, but we hope you have found this helpful and we would really appreciate it if you would share your own thoughts or experiences by adding them as comments below.

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Comments 96

Evelyn Hayden 16 Jun 2026

I'm not asking about the "switching to use the opposite hand." I want to know if the trauma of the strapping on the hands by the teacher could affect the child's eyesight.
Margee 25 May 2026

I’m 82 I was born a lefty but switched very early — I almost never used my left for anything— I’ve tried switching but I think that ship has sailed for me — but it did effect my childhood as being confused many times — learning was more difficult for me never knew why but reading up on it I’ve found some answers
Celestina Ziniel 28 Oct 2025

I need a solution for my 4 year old son who is left handed but have been forced to use his right hand and that has made him very slow in class . Especially with his handwriting.
1. Admin 05 Nov 2025
  
  I will email you directly
Margee 08 Sep 2024

I was born left handed and at the time it was not ok for a girl so my gram forced me to be right handed — I was not aware at the time but it effected my whole life — we are wired to be either right or left changing confuses the brain and therefore every aspect of my life changed — it confused and frustrated me but since I was so young I didn’t know why I felt that way
Sadie 28 Aug 2024

I’m a lefty and was forced to become right handed by my teacher. She told me of how horrible my life would be if I continued using my left hand and how much trouble I would have growing up. Now I’m an adult and have gone back to using my left hand when writing. I’ve always used a fork left handed and played sports etc, using my left hand but my writing was/is horrible both right and left handed now. I have 3 brothers and 1 sis and only one of my brothers is left handed. My dad was and I also have 2 other family members (from different sides of the families) that are left handed.
Dee 23 Jun 2024

I was born left handed and made to switch in kindergarten, in the 50s. I can tell you it has messed me up. My comprehension is not good. I feel handicapped at times. I get confused with driving directions. It was a horrible idea and has gotten worse with age. Should I try switching back now?
Alexandra Aristera 28 Aug 2023

Hello,

My name is Alexandra Aristera.

I am 33 years old and switched back to my birth hand, my left hand 4 years ago after being forced to use my non dominant hand, my right hand most of my life.

Please see below my video :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLPbJxd2M7c&t=7s

I was blessed to be Lucia Capacchione's last client ( she passed away last year) , a pioneer in expressive arts therapy who has been studying handedness and the brain since the 80's and author of the book " The power of the other hand".

I have collaborated with my first design teacher Linda Selwood when switching back to my left hand 4 years ago and kept track of all the changes my body, mind and spirit went through.

I have also found this excellent book and reached out to Samuel the author who explains his journey going back to his left hand at 40 years old " Hidden Handedness" Samuel M. Randolph.

I currently have my first client who I am training back into her left hand.

I am based in CANADA but can do session via zoom.

Currently working on my website.

If you feel you are left handed forced to use your right hand and wanted to go back to your birth hand, your left hand, IT IS POSSIBLE AND NECESSARY. I specialize in this and can offer incredible support.

My email is : aristeradesign@gmail.com

I hope to hear from you,

Alexandra Aristera
1. nining 29 Sep 2023
  
  My daughter might need your assistance to have her natural hand back. She's currently 18 years old and live in BC, Canada.
DAve 23 Mar 2021

I have always been artistically inclined yet I was never able to draw. I had the worst handwriting ever and eventually just gave it up. I was constantly punished in school for having bad handwriting and the teachers and my parents always blamed it on me and said I wasn't trying hard enough.

I never did well in school. I was always the problem child and I had very little respect for most teachers and my parents. I also hated myself for wanting to do art but having a hand which simply would not do what I told it to do.

The list of things that I did poorly was fairly huge. So I was sent to a shrink and was given learning disability tests and my I.Q. was scored at 136. Just under the genius level of 140. I also found out later in life that I have horrible dyslexia. However I actually lucked out on reading. My Father accidentally taught me how to read as a baby. So when I got tested upon entering 1st grade, I was already able to read college level books. The way I learned to read was I was actually never taught to sound things out. Well people tried to but I could already read by then so I pretty much ignored them.

The way I learned how to read was the only want to shut me us was to read to me. An my Dad was a super genius type who loved to read an so he would sit me on his lap and run his finger under the words as he read them. For hours every night. So I learned how to read by memorizing the entire word shapes. The letters came up later when I would ask too many questions and they would tell me to look stuff up in dictionaries or encyclopedias. I was about 3 or 4 i guess.

Anyway, some time in my 20s I was having handwriting issues at work and my Mother says, outta the blue, "Well maybe I shouldn't have changed you from left to right handed. Oh well. Nothing we can do about it now." Like all that damned torture, all that pain, all that punishment and ridicule and grief an she just blew it off like it was nothing but an excuse why I couldn't write pretty like she could. I could have killed her. I didn't talk to her fr 6 or 8 months. An never told her why. Eventually my Father asked me why I was being a jerk to my Mom and I looked him square in the eyes and said "Tell me you had something to do with my be right handed an maybe I'll quit talking to you too. "

So apparently my Dad didn't think it was a good idea but some Jerk convinced my Mom that some book was gonna "cure" me of this left handed affliction blah blah and she convinced my Dad to go along. Not a single left handed person in my family but me. Not even cousins. So I was the freak and it required fixing. Both of my kids are right handed as well.

Anyway, life sucked. This BS caused me a lifetime of problems and now I'm 57. I figure I was born a left handed, artistic, genius with lots of opportunity an a bunch of A hole adults screwed it all up for me, blamed the problems on me and punished me for their screw up.

So I've never had a beer nor been drunk nor had a cigarette nor been a crackhead and was an athlete but I had my first heart attack at 36. I've had 5 so far. I've had two bypass surgeries. I don't get any more shots at that either. This last year I got cancer. That's been a joy. In the throat no less. Cancer is gone now. Lucked out big time with the no booze or tobacco thing. However, I lost 100 blbs in a month and couldn't eat any food for 5 weeks. An that gave me a kind of brain damage that usually only drunks get. So it attacked my cerebral cortex and my eyes. Nearly killed me and nearly blinded me.

So now I'm working my way back from that and the damage is on the right side of my brain which then effects the left side of my body more than the right. So I've been learning all i can on fixing my brain and an idia crossed my mind which doctors have said would be a good idea to try. An that is, try to learn how to be left handed again. Which I have not started yet but I am getting ready to start. Right now I just think about it all the time and imagine doing it.

So. . . pretty soon I start learning how to draw and write with my left hand. I also started taking a fencing class to try to get my balance back and I've already started doing that left handed. Which I've always been somewhat ambidextrous with that sort of thing so that's how I've started to change back.

The goal, of course, is to turn the cancer problems into a win. Because if I could learn to draw, that would make the cancer worth having to go through.

Anyway, that's my complaint fest. I've obviously some bitterness going on but I'm tryin to turn it into a positive which is my usual way of dealing with life's difficulties. So we shall see how this turns out lol Worst part is my Dad is gone and the Mom has dimentia. . So I can't even bitch at them about it lol
Kabir 01 Aug 2019

I was forced to change from left to right before i turned 3, my handwriting is very terrible so the extent my teachers find it hard to understand am 18years old now is it too late to switch back to left?
M. Mujahid khan 14 May 2019

I was by birth left handed but was forced to become right handed my all abilities were become below average. now I have switched back to be a leftee much better result have been seen about my progress.
1. Slyvia 26 Jun 2019
  
  I’m 13 years old and often get bad cramps in my right hand (I blamed this on slamming my hand in a door when I was 10) and am always getting terrible headaches and often can’t see properly. I’ve been diagnosed with too many things to list but have nothing but alleged stress (I’m not stressed).
  I was asked the other day if I was left handed and was told I did everything except writing left-handed. It’s true, except throwing and batting where I was forced to use my right hand by my last sports teacher who was an ancient dinosaur, I’m currently reverting and the ‘stress’ is disappearing and I have a natural ease for writing with my left (it’s very neat, neat as my right, and I don’t have bad habits like with my right hand yet). I remember being forced to write things over and over because of my terrible handwriting and being told not to use my left hand. I thought the adults knew best!
  Like I said I’m trying to revert but it’s hard because like I mentioned I’m slow with my left hand but I often get ‘episodes’ from writing with my right. I have to keep up in school. What should I do because all I got is break my right hand and that seems WAY too drastic?
Emily 18 Apr 2019

I am 51 years old. I am left-handed, but when I was 4, my sister and dad told me to write with my right hand. Throughout my childhood and adolescence, if my dad saw me writing with my left hand he would stop me and convince me to write with my right. I alway used scissors with my left and whatever I did that required strength or coordination, I would use my left. Writing was the only thing I did with my right hand. Needless to say, my writing is atrocious. So I wrote with my right hand and the letters were with an extreme slant to the left. That was critiqued by the teacher and I had to slant it to the right. I wish I had had a teacher that encouraged me to write sight my left hand. I can write with my left, but neither hand writes beautifully. I wish I had done something about it when I was younger. I feel if I had stuck with writing with my left, I would have pursued the things that I really liked, rather than go into careers that people encouraged, but I had no flare for, or made me happy. It seems clear now, but what a lot of wasted time. Is it too late to switch to left? Should I seek the assistance of an OT?
Bonnie Waite 21 Mar 2019

my son is FORCING his 2 year old child to be left handed....will this affect this child negatively..???.. I am very worried about this..
Lisa Brancati 17 Nov 2018

I would love any information that could help me better understand my daughter’s current situation. She was born right handed but had no choice but to switch to her left.

When she was 3, we were in a serious car accident. Her nerves from her neck completely disconnected from her spine leaving her right arm immobile. She still had some movement in her right fingers.

After three months of not being able to use her right arm, she went through a nerve transfer operation where they took some nerves from her right hand and transformed them in order to gain some movement in her arm.

All this to say, she used her left hand for everything while this process was going on and currently at the age of 6, three years later, she still uses her left.

My concern is, now at school in grade 1 her teachers are seeing difficulty with her reading and math skills. She was always a smart little girl. I am a kindergarten teacher and have been reading with her everyday since the day she was born! So I k ow it’s not from lack of exposure. Could this have anything to do with her switching her dominate hand?
Rhainne Myrtle 07 Jun 2018

I was born left handed but they forced me to use my right hand when i was young. I feel like my fate was changed because of that.
1. Incomplete 20 Dec 2018
  
  I’m glad you said this because so do I. My mom and dad were separated before I was born and she didn’t quite like that I was using my left hand like my dad so she kept putting everything in my right. I’ve always felt stumped when it comes to being creative and it wasn’t until a couple years ago I learned she did this and recently did my research. I understand my moms pain but I feel like she set me on a totally different path in life.
Melissa U 04 May 2018

I am wondering how you can change back to left handed after being forced right handed... My son's Pre K teacher forced him right handed and I didn't know until a few years later when we had problems with Dyslexia and learning disabilities. I struggle with this daily that my son was basically abused by someone I trusted or so I thought I trusted. It's a very emotional subject for me, but I see his daily struggles and I just want to make it better for him. If any of you have any insight it would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you
Laurie 13 Apr 2018

Actually the stories were interesting but I would have liked some scientific proof. I was born left-handed and it is my dominant hand but I can write beautifully with my right hand after being forced to do so at the age of 65. I need to know practice I just started riding with my right hand at that age. In reality my right-handed handwriting is far prettier than my left-handed even though my whole life I wrote left-handed.
Rahul chaudhary 22 Mar 2018

My son is now 8 years old. He was left handed but his mother forced him to do activities with right hand. Some time he got confused which hand to use while playing.
But now he can write well by right hand than left hand. Should we force him to the things with left hand.
Glenn 19 Jan 2018

I am 54. i was forced to use my right hand in school for writing. but never stopped using my Left so now i Wright with both at the same time boy some people real stair. they made me now i rule very proud to be Lefty.
Simon 03 Apr 2017

Hello, I was forced to use my right hand in writing when I was a child. I don't remember much about that time. My mother told me she was requested by my preschool teacher to convert me from a lefty to a righty. I've read some of ur articles and have realised I've suffered some effects noted down in the article, due to the change.So I was wondering if its possible to change back to a lefty even if am 19yrs old and if so, will it affect me neurologically?
Bombe Tao 27 Mar 2017

I'm now 24 , should I switch back to be lefty? By birth I was lefty and got switched to righty when I was 3- 4 yrs old. Still I do some task with my left like using sccisors and knife, combing etc, and use my right hand for writing, throwing ball, etc. Im in mood swings mostly everyday. I have good handwriting but it requires pressure at the finger's, usually my nerves bulge a bit. Three months ago I tried to switch my writing and sports activities to left but soon i gave up since it's not that easy being in college now and to keep up academic also one's pen signature. I like arts and music too but never tried both. While playing soccer I usually have sprains and mild fracture with my right leg, may I never tried with my left leg for pass or kick. I'm always in doubt about everything , very bad in decision making. More often I tend to worry about my future and regret about my past.I read the articles and posts and feels Im not the only one. What should I do? I'm sure I'm not abidextrous. Suggestions needed. May be its not about my handedness afterall !!
Vicky 19 Feb 2017

Hi, I am now 39 years old. I born with left handed but my mom forced me to use right handed for whatever she can see like writing and holding chopsticks. I remember my handwriting was very neat and teacher posted my handwriting. Since I changed to right handed, my writing is terrible. My brother always laughed at me that I can't hold chopsticks probably. One day, when I was able 30 years old, I tried to use left hand for chopsticks. I could hold it correctly and naturally, just since I have been using right hand after all. My left hand isn't as strong and get tired more easily. I have been thinking if I should train myself to write in left hand again at this age. Will it be benefit to change it back to left hand?
Bob R. 10 Feb 2017

I'm a unique case. I was born right handed but broke my arm right before Kindergarten. I was forced to write with my left hand for five or six weeks as my right arm healed and was never able to switch back. So I'm mostly left handed but do play guitar right handed. I occasionally have stuttering and speech slurring issues and attention problems. I've always wondered how much my situation has affected my brain and if it is reversible.
Nay lynn 21 Jan 2017

Is it sad I started crying
.probably... I'm 15..i have a momm who I know adores me but several things in my life she negelected one was my dominance I have always been very creative and she jokes that the reason I'm a hot mess is I'm a artist and the reason I struggle in school is just because I'm convinced I can survive as free-lance photographer.. But I self diagnozed myself as left handed when I was ten.. I told her and was ignored I remember crying when I was six because I was home schooled and was told I was not leaving my seat until I wrote the same words 25 times each and if she couldn't read what I wrote I rewrite them and I couldn't do it and I said so and I spent hours even ate dinner at the desk still doing it because I wasn't able to and my hand would cramp and she would grab my hand massage it then say get back to work.. And I'm here now like I litterly physical couldn't do it. She was practicly torturing me she didn't realize it of course but she always gave up on teach me how to write and then would get mad in resent years she always says you have to know how to write in order to graduate you have written exams.. I'm very sensitive.. In past years since I was 7 there's been a steady pitfall in my grades. I live with my brother now.. We discovered .i don't have any of the proper learning foundations I need.. I haven't assorbed information the way I was ment to. I'm a flawless reader to myself but IF I try reading outloud I'm a studdering freak I have a speach issue I add s sounds to some words or stop mid word and stutter. And I'm trying so hard to fix myself I really am I'm practicing writing with my left hand I eat with my left hand carry things with my left hand but now if I still use my right hand most and I attack myself for it because I know I can't fix anything if I don't focus my habits to my left hand I eat with my left hand but I'm a artist and I use my right hand to draw I tried using my left but my pencil feels weird in my left hand like Im three and learning how to hold it again and I'm so shaky and my notebook sits against my hand differently my motor skills are fucked up I noticed I don't eat properly ether my silverwhere isn't held right but just The motion of using that hand is better enough I ignore the awkward grip but after all the brow beating over my skills when I have something like art I know good at it makes me wanna cry to see shakey lines with my proper hand when I know my right hand is smoother.. If I can get to wear I can use both comfortably in balance for things or fix the damage in my hand readjust my self I have a friend with RA in his hands and he's a beautiful artist way beyond me he doesn't have long before he looses most all his motion in his wrist and he's only 6 years older then me.. And he's left handed.. I wanna maybe get to where I can be his pupil so when he can't do what he loves anymore he can teach me and still be involved in The process
Erin 13 Jan 2017

This happened to me as a child and I can offer you some insight, and hope! I remember my teacher taking my pencil out of my left hand in K5 and telling me to use my right but she would allow me to color left handed. I continued to use my left hand more until we had to learn cursive writing in second grade. I began to get headaches and my mother noticed I was more clumsy. I had a comprehensive testing in the fourth grade which showed I was far advanced across the board and very under par in math, mainly number comprehension and operations applications. I still at this point continued to write with both hands through early high school. I took honors classes but could not pass pre-algebra to save my life. I also was not good at judging distances or drawing yet I could paint (yes left handed) exceptionally well. My parents tried everything to no avail. My Sophomore year they had a specialist assess me and I was diagnosed with dyslexia and a visual processing LD with an IQ of 135. A teacher at my school offered The Discovery Program as a learning disability therapist (NILD Therapy). It focused not just on tutoring but treating the root of the LD. She noticed me switching hands when I was tired and after realizing what happened she met with cognitive psychologist who told her that it had caused the processing issue and to throw a wad of paper at my face and see which hand I deflected with. The idea was to switch me to the correct dominant hand since my brain had not adapted. I was 16 at the time and after he assessed me he said I was too old to be reversed without risking difficulty to graduation. I had my hand wrapped in ace bandage for months to force me to fully switch. This was coupled with puzzles and processing games but MOST importantly rhythmic writing. This is fluid shapes drawn over and over while repeating words and later working math problems without stopping the motion to create strong communication pathways in the brain. I no longer write left handed although I do still deflect with it. I went from failing basic math in high school, I did struggle in my first years of college but I continued the therapies and I am now in my early thirties and back in school for computer programming doing very well. I still have some hangups here and there but I never ever thought I would be using math all day and loving every minute. I think if I were a few years younger they would have switched me and I wish they had but it is possible to get help to reverse the damage. I would highly recommend parents/educators look into this option as it gave me a much brighter future!
1. Lisa Carlow 16 Feb 2017
  
  What did u ask for when u went to see the doctor to correct this? What kind of Dr did u seek? A psychiatrist or neurologist?
  My boy was made to use his right and is having all sorts of problems. I just want to do what's best and switch him back to left.
Ricky O Weber 09 Jan 2017

What's interesting in my case when I was 6 years old I broke my right collarbone not a problem using my left hand to brush my teeth and other tasks such as using both sides of my brain and know I understand how me, myself and I am such a multitasker because one really can use both sides of your brain...HOLY SHIT....and in real LIFE have only met one other person who was also born a natural LEFTY and was switched to be a RIGHTY.
Ricky O Weber 09 Jan 2017

YEP I am living proof of being born a natural lefty switched to be right handed...at age 62 years old never crossed my mind to surf online about this....
Eve 09 Jan 2017

I have been wondering for many years if I was left-handed when I was born. My father's father was left handed. My mother could well have trained me to be right-handed. When I read the word "dyslexia" above, it made me start to cry. I am 55 years old now and have not been diagnosed with dyslexia, but I have suffered a great deal with those types of problems...not just with numbers and words but also with tasks and thoughts as well.

Sometimes my "other" hand will interfere with what the "first" hand is trying to do in accordance with a different thought about whatever it is that I am doing at the time. It doesn't seem to matter whether or not I started with my right hand or my left. Thoughts even get reversed sometimes.

I seem to be right-eyed, more accurate with throwing and catching with my left hand, and lead with my left foot. Forget about dancing. I get too mixed up with which foot is trying to do what.

I have also been clumsy and not able to learn to perform tasks beyond the "learning" level; such as playing an instrument, or working as a nurse. If I was born left-handed and was trained to be right, I think it has had a debilitating effect on me.
Ross 07 Jan 2017

Hi, I would like to ask if it is possible to share the name of the neurodevelopment therapist that Kirstin referred to above in the article? We have a three year old who has been encouraged to write right-handed but is a natural lefty and would very much like to correct it.

Many thanks.
Sun 27 Dec 2016

My mom started teaching me how to write from age 2 and that's when she started forcing me to switch from left to right. She was very strict and quite cruel. I started losing vision in my left eye at age 3-4 years of age and lost complete vision by age 13-14. I only realized the loss of vision at age 11 and was taken to the doctors who said I had glaucoma and the damage is permanent since the damage is of the optic nerve which is part of the brain and hence I will never get my vision back no matter what. Could the forced changing of handedness be related to my loss of vision?
joe 27 Dec 2016

I am 26 years old, of the very first things I remember using my lift hand to eat and hold stuff, my family is sort of religious and they think left handed are a demon possessing. they literally torture me to convert to right handed person.
in the process, i get severe ADHD, bad memory, withdrawn and social anxiety, depression

after 20 years I start to use back my left and every thing get better
but the writing still not able to use y left so any help is appreciated
aderayo Sarah momah 16 Dec 2016

Pls I ve a child that is 11years old,and was forced to use righthand instead of left hand ,and its affecting the boy academically, he does nt ve confidence in himself .pls I need more advise on what to do
Jack 17 Nov 2016

Hi I was ambidextrous but mainly left handed, I used my left hand for everything but my kindergarten teacher hated that so she made me sit on my left hand and use my right hand for everything is there anyway I can rehabilitate or start to use left hand again (I’m 13 so it was 9-10 years ago)

Sorry this is the right one I forgot to fix the grammar on the other one
Chrissy Brown 16 Nov 2016

Hi. I am left-handed but I think I switched hands when I was younger as I have most of the symptoms of becoming right-handed, but I can't do much with my right-hand so I don't know if I did or my hands are just very weak and I have fine motor skills problems as an almost 14 year old. Please help!
Tim 05 Nov 2016

I have significant memories from childhood of what I thought as such a young child to be Epiphanies. Discovering innapropriateness of walking into someone else's house without knocking, the day I saw my Father sign his name (I believe it was to a Check but may have been a line of credit at the store) and come away with food leading me to believe my Father's name was all it took to gain food at that store and I deduced that he must own it. Shortly after I began to ask my mother to teach me to write my name. I wasn't old enough yet for any formal schooling but she was excited to rweard my curiousity. As I watched I saw her using her right-hand. I knew that I always held my crayon in the left-hand. I thought to myself that I must not have figured out name-writing on my own because left hands weren't eant for writing. I mimicked so many things that when I used my right hand my mom thought it odd only briefly because up until then I had done everything with my left but didn't stop me because she had never wanted to force me to do either. I still have left foot dominance in sports and had difficulty learning shooting sports due to left eye dominance. I'm a musician. I wasn't forced by anyone but myself. I have depression and severe anxiety issues and have wondered if attempting to retrain might help. (My youngest is a lefty and luckily made sure to not just allow but talk him through trying both and then letting him tell me how it felt and encouraging what was correct for him). If I did try, I think it best to wait until my undergraduate degree is finished tjis spring but it might at least be an interesting experiment.
Jeannine Boyer 30 Oct 2016

I am 86 now and was wondering if I should try to change back to left hand. I did not know that my Mother had tied my left hand behind me until much later in life. If you had a left handed child in those days they were classed as a "misfit" and was treated as such.
I had a hard time in school because my writing was very bad and as I got older it got worse. I drop things now. I blamed it on my arthritis and spine problem . Would love to feel normal.
Ruben Moroyoqui 14 Sep 2016

I'm 50 years old and I was born a lefty. My father forced me to write with my right hand at a very young age. Today I write with my right hand, but practically everything else I do it with my left hand, except racket sports and golf. I'm not sure how much the change impacted me, to be honest, but I'm sure it took it's toll one way or the other.
I come from a family of artist and started developing my drawing and painting skills at very young age, however, I was forced to stop with my artistic work and somehow blamed my changing to become a righ-handed to this and a number of other aspects.

So, I wonder if it might be of any benefit to change back to do everything with my left hand a t my age, starting off from writing, then every thing else.

Can you please share your comments?
1. Eve 09 Jan 2017
  
  Ruben, I am just now reading your comment after posting mine, and your experiences sound much like mine. My father was an architect, and both my older brother and sister draw very well. But me, well... even my stick-men are shaky!! Yet another thing that makes me wonder.
Michelle 05 Sep 2016

I can't remember far enough back to know if I was forced in school to write right-handed or if it's something innate. I wonder because I do EVERYTHING else with the left side of my body and it feels completely natural (hoing a bat, throwing a ball, kicking a ball, eating, etc) so I'm curious about how hard it would be to learn to be fully left-handed and if it "makes sense" to do so.
Stephen 31 Aug 2016

My dad notified me that I'm a lefty. It would only make sense, I do the majority of my everyday task with my left-hand. My right hand/arm feels solid though, it feels bigger and more dense, but is inaccurate and I cannot do anything with it.

My left-hand feels very flexible and loose, like I'm not limited at all. My right hand is I may add on, feels very tight and limited. Any lefty relates this?
1. Chath 16 Sep 2016
  
  Wow for some reason I thought I was the only one with that weird condition. But the same also with my right leg, more dense and stronger. I really want to change that, any solutions?
2. Eve 09 Jan 2017
  
  Hey, Stephen. Yeah, when something comes at me from out of the blue, I often catch it with my left hand. My right arm is stronger than my left, but my left arm is close to the same. My grip and mobility on both hands is also the same. But I did things growing up that required both hand coordination, such as playing instruments. But I could only get so good at it and no better, no matter how much I practiced. And that was one of my very favorite things in school.
Hannah 31 Aug 2016

God & friends have recently helped me identify that I'm a forced right hander. Then I read your articles on forced right handedness & I was able to identify with many of the challenges listed & then I read this article on changing back to left handed. I used both hands well. I changed to using my left hand for everything. If I did not know which hand for which task, then I would see which one required more thought or movements, that I did with my left. I saw a change almost instantly. My mind cleared & it was a lot easier to think, follow, read, & remember. It turned my world upside down. Nothing was the same. I made the change July 11th & now it is August 30th. The first few nights I was dreaming about left hand right hand. Often I would have to change hands in the middle of doing something. Not it is a lot easier to do things with my left hand than when I first changed hands. The most challenging part of changing hands what that I have always been good with my hands (precision work, handwriting, & crafts). Now all of a sudden the one thing I was good at I was no longer good at. I am doing much better now & is no longer embarrassing. The wonderful part of changing to my left hand is that I can now think, understand, follow, read, & remember where before all of this was very difficult (school was a real challenge for me). I am 27 & live in the USA. I'm so glad for how God has brought this to my attention & helped me through the whole process!

I have read the sad stories on this site of other forced right handers. God has certainly made each one of us different. I share my story in the hope that it will inspire you with courage & hope for a better future.
1. Mrs. A.J. Millington 31 Aug 2016
  
  I understand completely how you feel. I'm the oldest of five children: with 2 brothers & 2 sisters. Both my brothers & sister are lefties, my younger sister and I are righties. However, when I was 4 years old, I picked up pencils & other objects with my left hand. After doing some research, I found left-handedness is on my dad's side.
  
  Whenever he'd see me use my left hand, I was always discouraged to use my right hand. In 2013, I had a life-threatening illness and was on meds/IVs in my right arm for 35 days. When I was released from the hospital, my right arm hurt, it was difficult doing the smallest tasks. So I switched to my left hand. It felt awkward but now totally normal. I still do some tasks with my right hand but feel comfortable using my left hand. I eat left-handed, clean the house & such the same. My husband likes to tease me about sometimes but I know he's not being mean. I also understand how you feel.
2. Eve 09 Jan 2017
  
  Hi, Hannah. Yeah, the think, understand, follow, read, and remember part ~ that draws up a whole bunch of memories of being deemed lax, lazy, my best friend in school nick-named me "Klutz". Partly because my maiden name was "Clatt" but also because I was more clumsy than even the average teenager. Sometimes I was even accused of lying, which hurt a lot because I will suffer consequences before I would lie about something. After I grew out of that phase of life, I had no more excuses and those foibles didn't go away. Life became embarrassing and shameful. Unfortunaely, my mother strongly reinforced that idea.
laila 23 Aug 2016

I was left handed but at a young age my mum forced me to become right handed. Now that she finally told my dad I WS actually left handed, he is encouraging me to use my left hand frequently. I'm 17 now, will this affect me in anyway?
Sonia Gonzales 14 Aug 2016

i was forced to be right handed. about 2 years ago i was at a very hard time in my life. not exactly sure how it happened but i remembered being about 2 years old and having my left arm tied to my chest. i asked my mother about it and she was stunned. she said my pediatrician advised her to switch my dominant hand by tying by left arm and that he told her i would never know the difference. she said i was 2 and was stunned i could remember.

i was a bed wetter. i still struggle with left and right. my thoughts get very confused. when i eat with my right hand i always push my left hand down on my thigh. i am 42 years old now and have been untangling the past and never even knew i was suppose to be left handed.
1. Eve 09 Jan 2017
  
  Wow, Sonia, as I read down the list of comments, I see something the same as me in each one. I was a bed wetter, too. Until a significant age. I had slowed down a whole lot, but the last time I remember wetting the bed, I was 12 years old. When I got around that age, I would dream I was getting up to go to the bathroom, and before long, would find out I wasn't!! My thoughts also get very confused sometimes. Just yesterday I was speaking to a battery store guy about a brush cleaner for the posts and cables, and got all mixed up trying to describe what I knew exactly what it was. Very frustrating and embarrassing. I've found that raised-eyebrow look on many people's faces like they thought they knew I was on drugs or something when that kind of thing happens. I learned to type in Jr. High school, and I never could reach the number keys very well or any of the other keys that require reaching that far. I have to do those manually. I also don't hold my hands correctly, I kind of curl some of them to reach some of the keys. This list could get long! The numerous typos drive me nuts.
Christine 31 Jul 2016

In my case, i was originally left handed but my mom trained me to use my right hand to write. Now im 17 and i can write using both hands, but my handwriting using my right hand is a little neater. I play badminton with my left hand, but brush my teeth with my right. So what am i? Am i left handed? Please help me im really confused.
Lamya 14 Jul 2016

I am born right handed but because when I was small the doctor did something wrong and I was afraid to use it and now I do everything with my left hand. So can I be counted as a left handed person?
Ineedyourhelpplease 08 Jul 2016

Hi guys
Well I was born left handed and then the school in which I was going to, forced me into writing and doing everything in school right handed. Being at home wasn't much different because my uncle will always shout on me to eat and do everything with my right hand so basically I was forced to change to a right hander.
Now that I'm 15 I researched on it and I found out that I suffered all the side effect but instead of telling a doctor my parent thought it was a habit that I will soon grow out of. There are some that I don't do anymore but now I know that I have realy been affected by it because I found out that I have ADHD and I heared that that was the root of my disorder and I also found out that because of my disorder I have been lacking in my studies.
at this my age can I still change back to being a left handed and if I can will all the things that affected go away?
Jeana Roberson 07 Jul 2016

My son is 7yrs old. He was born a natural lefty and when he started pre-pre k his teachers forced him to his right hand.I protested and they convinced me that switching him would benefit him in the long run. He is now approaching 2nd grade and continuosly gets his numbers and most letters backwards and his handwritting compared to his class mates is not legible and basically horrible. He gets so frustrated when writing and his self esteem is suffering tremendously over it. His father and I both have different opinions on this.I continue to encourage him to use whatever hand he feels more comfortable using(which is his left) and his father comes in and reprimands our son telling him he's doing it wrong, questioning him on why he's got the pencil,bat,throwing a ball..whatever..telling him he's doing it wrong. Then turns to me abd accuses me of messing our sons mind up! I just don't know what to do. After reading post from other parents and setting that their children are experiencing some of the same issues, I feel better knowing that I'm not completely crazy thinking that forcing a child to use the opposite hand they are naturally born to use is wrong all the way around. And the bigger question is...who do the right handed people think they are that their way is the best and only way?
priyanka.p.k 09 Jun 2016

well when i was a kid, my nursery teacher advised my parents on turning me right handed. initially i was reluctant, had poor concentration and hand writing. in my middle school i coped up and was getting good grades. i only write and eat in right hand since i was trained to do so. now as a curious teenager i found out all of it from my parents. there is no use cursing that old lady anymore. i agree that now i dont have that good memory, scared of numbers, get moody at times. i still retained my imagination, creativity and am improving my memory through imagination. so for all those orthodox parents out there plz dont do it. every child is awesome in his or her own way. just accept it.
born a lefty, forced a righty 08 Jun 2016

My father forced me into being right handed because he was very religious and using left hand was a sin. Mind you i was very young and my mom has told em this years later.
I don't have contact with my father anymore.
My handwriting with my right hand is messy, I hold the pencil with all my fingers when drawing and writing. I love drawing btw. I try and use my left hand as much as i can, with cutting, holding cups, i even eat with my right hand. I can hold a pen "properly" (index, middle and thumb) in my left hand, but fail to do so in my right hand (all fingers).
We were even taught in school to use our right hand, but we had a left handed kid born and raised left handed, and he was the only special one who didn't have to use their right hand.
Naomi 19 May 2016

I'm 13 years old and naturally ambidextrous, I'm not sure how this works but when I was about 9-10 I was writing with my right and told to see what my left looked like, my left was by far neater so I decided to go fully left handed, I don't consider myself as ambidextrous as I used to be because I've been practising with my left for years so it's bound to be better
Gabriele Asta 24 Jan 2016

I am 65 and was forced to change I had a lot of trouble understanding what u read and was called an underacheived nowadays I take straterra for add but I still tend to misplace things and not focus on what people say to me
1. Eve 09 Jan 2017
  
  Me, too, Gabrielle. I am now on disability due to a lacking in time management and too many errors. I had four nursing jobs after graduating from college. They all lasted only from 3-6 months. I just couldn't get past that orientation phase. Two of those jobs I really liked and wanted to keep, but to no a avail. I finally quit nursing before I really hurt somebody. You have to always be on top of your game in nursing.
Stephen 23 Jan 2016

Hi, I would like to add to these very helpful comments. I too, was born left-handed. My dad had told me numerous times that I was born left-handed, but I just could not believe him. He told me how when I was little before I went into first grade, I wrote with my left-hand, but the teacher switched me over. What didn't help was that I was easily influenced, and a follower. I'm now 17 and have been dealing with this whole problem since 5th grade. I do 99% of my everyday tasks with my left-hand, and I only write with my right, but it feels very uncomfortable. When I hold the pencil or anything in my left, it feels natural. I'm glad I could read these comments and gain some closure about this topic. Maybe now I can move on and stop bugging my dad. Thank you Rick for clearing it up majorly.
1. Niteesh 08 Apr 2016
  
  My name is Niteesh, I live in India. I’m now 17 and as a child, I wondered, why I can’t play Cricket in the way others do, with right hand at bottom and why I can’t throw ball with my Right hand, but, with left hand. I used to ask my Mom about this, for which, I never got the expected answer. I write with my left hand today. Just a couple of days ago, when I forced her to tell about my handedness, I came to know that, I used to write with my left hand as a child and doing everything with Left hand. My Grandma changed my writing hand to right hand, forcibly, calling writing in left hand as a bad luck. Now, I want to gain my identity as a complete Left hander. I do everything with my left hand, but, write with my right hand. Is it good to start writing with my original dominant hand? From where shall i start? Please suggest me. Please send me a reply to my mail id, niteesh342692@gmail.com.
Anonymous user 13 Oct 2015

I have always had messy handwriting I think my parents may have accidentally made me right handed when I was left handed I think they thought that I was right handed and when I tried to use my left hand they would correct me and so eventually I got used to using my right hand eventually I discovered that my left handwriting was a lot better I've also been looking online for answers and I have a lot of characteristics of kids who had been forced to change when I discovered that I noticed help stuff like picking up stuff raising my hand and other activities that weren't writing eating etc I used my left hand I'm now going to try to make this the way it should have been by using my left hand I also remember how when they would make me use my right hand it felt very unstable and I couldn't write right but that was a long time ago and now I won't make it the way it should have been
1. Eve 09 Jan 2017
  
  Hi, anonymous. I don't think you are hopeless. It sounds to me like it is possible to change back, it just takes some time and effort. And perhaps, trying a few methods to see what works for you. This comment helped me a great deal. It made me think about how hard it was for me to learn cursive writing. I pressed very hard on the paper, and it was well into the year before the teacher noticed I was shaking my hand a lot from the pain. She then told me not to press so hard, and I was surprised that I hadn't even thought about it.
  
  Working that hard to do something like that just was my normal. I can still remember how much that hurt my hands. And your comment also made me think about how difficult it has been for me to memorize anything very lengthy. I had my first meltdown when I had to learn the times' tables in math. I love math, but I always thought that it just "didn't love me".
  
  But over time I came to realize that all those little tricks for memorization didn't work for me. Like creating an acronym for remembering a list of things, or just saying the thing over and over and over again. I was ashamed that I wasn't doing it very well somehow. And yet I couldn't explain that to anybody because they didn't understand. So I just had to keep it to myself because the more I tried to explain, the more I would hear something, like I just need to try harder or put more effort into it. Since I came on here tonight and started writing, I am seeing how much anger and frustration I have over all these conflicts in my head.
  Thank you, Anonymous, for being a part of that.
Dennis. Jacob 05 Jul 2015

My son is now 7years old. He his sturggling alot whenever he sits to writes his school notes, even he takes long hours to finesh a small notes. We tried our level best to work out from his both hand but still facing the same problem. Even from more than a year on regular basis we used to make him to do exercise under pyshotherphy that also not worked out. Problem his whenever he hold the pencil his hand is getting twisted and some time shivering. Even his speech is not clear.
Please advise for whom I should make him to consult and is there any treatment to make him okay.
1. Eve 09 Jan 2017
  
  To Dennis.Jacob:
  Hi,Dennis. Some of these things sound to me like perhaps something beyond changed handedness is going on. I would definitely recommend seeing a well abled Psychologist. The world of psychology is different from the world of medicine in several ways, and one way is that there is a significant amount of personal opinion, interpretation of theories, and the tendency to embed those things, intentionally or unintentionally, into their professional opinion and diagnosis. That happens more often in psychology more than medicine because of the subjective nature of psychology.
  In medicine there are innumerable tests, procedures, charts, and other sources of concrete information that enables doctors to more precisely pin-point the diagnoses of their patients. While on the other hand psychology is based on many theories that are at times built upon another established theory, or new ideas or theories may sprout from another pre-existing one. There is an accredited composite guidebook used for diagnosis of psychological conditions that is frequently updated with new conditions and symptoms as well as changing some information that may be found to be incorrect or outdated.
  Another thing I would recommend is that you have your son see a neurologist. There could also be some neural (nervous system) problems as well. Sometimes the two can be affecting each other.
  All that said, the most important thing to do first is to get out the old phone book and find the ones in your area or that you can commute to if that woud be necessary. And/or do some research online, as you want to find someone whom first, you can afford, and secondly, who is familiarized with or even better, specialized in the particular type of problem your son is having. And thirdly, someone you can communicate well with. If you are wanting all the information you can find and the one you are paying to see is of stoic character and just wants you to do as they say, it will be very difficult for you to progress through an already stressfull situation.
  And all that said, I am very well aware that all that advice is at best ideal and you may be unlikely to find all of the above. But it gives you a place to start and some things to start thinking about. One trick I learned having made several of these journeys is, if and when someone tells you no, we don't do that, you can ask them if they might know who does. That has helped me speed things along, both in sorting through who will work out and who won't, but they also might be able to tell you about so-and-so whom you don't have on your list.
  Good luck to both you and your son, Dennis. Don't give up.
muskaan jain 11 Jun 2015

my mother took me to the OT or Occupational therapist.She said, that i was left handed naturally....and when i was small and when the time came to train me to write , she thought i was a righty so she transformed me into a righty ..so what can i do now to regain /renew my natural hand . my habits are spoiling and i'm suffering those things like nail biting,poor concentration,bad memory,scruffy handwriting etc...anyone pls help me......!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
1. Nagendra 16 Aug 2015
  
  I have also same problem as you. I am naturally left handed but i alway practised with right hand. Previously I never knew that i was lefty but now with certian lefty hand practises shows me that i am lefty. Poor Right hand writing make me weak in handwriting , concentration, other various activity. I got failed in many exams. I always practised with right hand to get better writing but its not possible for me. Now i am practising with left hand . Tell more about you
brandon cabrera 27 May 2015

Im left handed but when i was younger i shot a basketball with both hands. i don't remember if anybody taught me which hand to shoot with but i learned with my right hand to shoot. I've became really good at shooting with my right hand. I also catch with my left hand and throw with my right. the only problem is, how can i do these things like shoot and throw with my right hand when my left hand is my dominant hand. i know when you throw with your left hand your body is turned the other way then when you throw with your right. I'm very comfortable standing on my right side when my dominant side is my left hand. i pick up things with my right hand and i pick myself up with my right hand but shouldn't i be doing things with my left hand? i also get whiplash in my neck and brain when i move too fast. i think my correlation is off. i feel like this is a really important subject that isn't being dealt with. everything you do has to do with you being right hand dominant and left hand dominant, and it has to do with your brain in whether or not you are right side brain or left side brain dominant. Luckily i write with my left hand. and when i was on the wrestling team in sixth grade i learned how to wrestle by leaning on my left side. which is important because i can use my left hand to my advantage to pick people up. but its hard for me because i try to pick people up (when I'm not wrestling) and i use my right side. and i feel very week when this happens. anyways now I'm trying to do things with my left hand. i think its hard to retrain yourself how to do things with your left hand from the things you already learned how to do with your right hand. because your comfortable and feel like your right hand dominant. but i think its easier to learn how to do things you have never done with your left hand instead. in the end its really difficult because i don't know how to approach these things. but yea. i also am one of the small percentage of people who deal with this rare problem
Mindy 26 May 2015

I am 45 years old. When I was in preschool, my made me switch from left to right. She had told me when I was in about 5th grade and I was really struggling. She was told to have me tested but of course, didn't tell her for what. She just thought I was a difficult child. She said she was sorry she did that because she wondered if that is why I had a harder time. I would study and have every answer in my head...and just go blank when it was time for a test. For a few years, I had bad grades and was always grounded me for them. I can read pretty quickly but often I get hung up on simple words such as "a" and "the"...I theN feel like it's a blur (hard to explain) but then will pick up and move on. Lately I also tend to leave entire words out of a sentence. I had wonderful parents, a very healthy family life, our parents always were involved in everything we did...but to this day my heart sinks when I think of this but I was such a very unhappy little girl whose only happy times and most memories are of me alone in my room playing. my mom said she would purposely give me 2-3 step commands. No matter what she asked of me, I always did the first one but would completely forget any others. She thought at first I was being lazy or defiant so she began giving me one thing at a time...then I always did them with no complaints. I still have a HORRIBLE short term memory but an excellent long term memory. I was never tested for anything...ever.
At 22 I was married and had A newborn who seemed fine at first but ended up, as a toddler, being diagnosed with ADHD, OCD, Cyclic Vomiting, Migraine, Autism, Encephalopathy, etc. He is left handed. The school ask me which I preferred him to write with. I told them to let him learn on his on terms. I was not going to decide for him. He is now almost 23 years old and still left handed.
Stephanie Byars 30 Apr 2015

I was a child forced to write right handed. The only thing I have suffered from is biting my nails to the quick. As far as anything else I was top ten percentile of high school students two years in a row. I do, however have social anxiety issues.
Mehmoona Hussain 01 Dec 2014

Hey, I was naturally a left hander, but my mum forced me to right with my right - hand as it is seen as bad to use your left hand. So, I found out recently that it can damage your brain. It has affected me in that I have poor concentration, bad memory, scruffy handwriting, nail biting, shyness, bad reading and physical tiredness. So, I was wondering that if I try to change back to my left hand, then would it reverse the damage or would it make my brain more damaged. Also, how would I go about doing it.
blackbombchu 11 Nov 2014

There's no need to get a training book. All you have to do is start doing every thing with your left hand and it will start to improve in skill. If you just want to become-handed at a specific task, your left hand will still gain skill for that task faster if you do everything with your left hand than just that task. If you're tired of your left hand being so slow to gain skill, you could decide to put up with the boredom of doing fine motor tasks with your left hand more frequently at first, like writing and buying shrimp then cutting the cords out of them. Although it might take many years for your left hand to pass your right hand in skill level, it will take a much shorter time like under 2 months for it to become very nearly as skilled as your right hand, removing the frustration of doing fine motor tasks with your left hand.
amal 10 Apr 2014

I am 23 years old. When I was a child I was forced to write in right hand.I think because of that I am having both hands shivering & a bad hand writing too. So one week ago I started writing in left hand.Is there any problem if I start in this way? And can you help me ?
1. gen 11 Apr 2014
  
  Amal: I don't think there's any problem. You can just start writing left handed. For me, it was awkward and difficult in the beginning to learn. (For me, b/c I've basically grown up right handed my whole life.) If you come from my background, you have to pretend you're in kindergarten and learn to write all over again almost, hehe. My left handed handwriting in the beginning was atrocious, but now, like I said, it's pretty much equal to legibility and quickness to my right hand. I actually got out a "big tablet" kindergartner's "learn to write book" and started learning to write with my left hand and wrote out the alphabet. It probably took me around 2 years to learn to write left handed, and now it's been around 5 years maybe? My, how time flies. Trust me, I would've never bothered to do this had it not been for right hand injuries. I tried learning to cursive left-handed, but it's hard for me, lol. I haven't tried much, and I still don't know how. It looks like a 5 yr old writing cursive, lol.
  
  I figure if people can learn to write w/ their feet, I most probably could learn to write w/ my left hand. heh.
  
  Anyhow, there are few times when I get tired of my left hand, I'll switch back to my right hand, heh. I wish I could cursive left handed, b/c I think cursive looks pretty and it's faster than printing.
  
  One funny thing I remember, while growing up right-handed, is that I did certain things left handed, like bat, hold guitar, skateboard, snowboard, and surf. People that would teach me would get irritated and say, "Are you left-handed or right-handed"? And I'd say, "Right handed." Then they'd say, "Well, if you're right-handed, you gotta [hold the guitar, surf, skateboard, snowboard, bat] this way then." lol. Talk about confusing. lol. Even though I was right-handed, it was AWKWARD doing those sports "right-handed"; it felt more NATURAL doing all those sports LEFT-HANDED.
  
  To this day I skateboard, snowboard, and surf LEFT-HANDED; ie, it's called, "GOOFY-FOOT." When I'm on the snow slopes I thought right foot forward was considered normal, and I thought everyone should snowboard like that, but I was surprised that everyone had "left-foot forward" and that was called "REGULAR-FOOT," and I used to always think people had it backwards and that I was "the one w/ 'normal-footing." lol. But yeah, practically everyone on the slopes rides w/ their "left foot forward." I just thought you were supposed to ride w/ your dominant foot forward. (My thinking was that my dominant foot was my right foot.) But I think they say you are supposed to ride w/ your dominant foot in the back. You know what, I really don't know, lol.
  
  So while we are in the waiting line ready to get on the chairlifts, I am the few ones facing the majority of people b/c when you're standing on a snowboard, you stand "sideways" facing people. hehe. It is hard for me to snowboard "regular-foot," ie, "left foot forward, and that's what I'm trying to learn how to do; it feels awkward. Now I know what it's like for regular boarders trying to learn how to ride "goofy foot."
  
  lefties-righties, righties-lefties UNITE! lol.
Revan 31 Mar 2014

Interesting. I recently found out that I was born naturally left handed, and at some point in my early childhood, I switched of my own volition, no forcing by my parents as I have read some apparently do. As I've grown up I've noticing many things, mainly that I am more ambidextrous than most people seem to be(baseball switch hitter, archery "switch hitter" if you want to call it that, fencing and martial arts same thing), though as gen mentions I don't believe I am truly ambidextrous, just used to using my right by now and naturally better with my left. I've always been terrible at art things, and have horrid handwriting as well. I'll be amazed if I come to find that I can almost draw or write decently left handed. Since I've developed guyon's canal syndrome from archery in my right hand, perhaps using my left hand more will help to relieve that too.

As far as why I switched I'm not sure, though the nerve injury sounds interesting. My mother was very young, and likely smoked and possibly other things during pregnancy, and after birth was probably not overly careful, and it's entirely possible that I may have suffered some sort of similar injury. In any case, now that I have found out that I am a natural lefty(so is my cousin I've come to learn recently, I suppose it's genetic to a degree), I'd like to give going back to it a shot and seeing how it goes. If I can remember, I'll try to report back my results
1. Judith 21 Jun 2015
  
  Hi Revan, just come across this thread, and I'm very interested to read your post. Can I ask how you found out that you were born naturally left-handed? I think my son, now aged 14, may be a natural left-hander, because as a baby he used his left hand for everything until a minor hand injury when he was about 6 months old meant that he had to have the hand bandaged up for 3 weeks, so he switched to using his right hand and never switched back. Both my husband and I are left-handed, and would never have forced him either way - he did it for himself. However, he has grown up quite clumsy and with atrocious handwriting, and whilst he doesn't stutter or stammer his speech can be unclear at times - he'll talk all in a rush, or say the opposite of what he means to say. I've often wondered if he was really intended for a left-hander, and from time to time would raise the matter with our doctor, but have always been told I was worrying for nothing. Is there a definitive way of finding out? Grateful for any info, thanks.
gen 16 Mar 2014

Glad to hear others are in my boat. I was naturally left handed, as is my mom, grandmother, cousin, and uncle. Me and my mom were forced to be right handed. It happened to me around kindergarten to 1st grade. I was little, forced, and had my hand and head hit by my mom and teacher, so i just rolled w/ it since I didn't know, and didn't have a choice. I grew up right handed. As I grew up right handed, some things I naturally did left handed were: drive, play badminton, bat, hold the guitar left handed, (i don't know how to play, I just naturally held it left handed), and read magazines backwards. Otherwise, w/ everything else, I was right hand dominant b/c that is what I learned and practiced my whole life.

In my early 30's after working many years in administration, using my right hand to type and write, I developed carpal tunnel syndrome and cysts on my right hand. I had to look into surgery to remove the cysts, and the arthritis in my right hand was getting bad. My alternative was to go back to my left hand and that was awkward but I had to do it due to injuries to my right hand. SO NOW, I just print w/ my left hand. And I hope to get out of administration b/c if I continue to stay in it, my left hand will be injured like my right hand was. Now I use a left handed mouse and keypad.

I cannot cursive in my left hand, but I'm sure if I taught myself, I could learn. I wish I could cursive w/ my left hand. Sometimes it trips me out sometimes writing w/ my left hand knowing that I was born left handed. I can eat and use chopsticks w/ my left hand. Yesterday I tried coloring w/ a colored pencil left handed and it was awkward so I switched back to my right hand to color, lol. Growing up I painted and drew w/ my right hand. Growing up, my grades in school and my art is fine right handed.

It is a weird, different feeling writing/ drawing w/ your left hand as opposed to your right hand. I am definitely right dominant: my right eye is dominant, I probably would put my sock on my right foot, and I feel more control using my right hand, etc.

I have been printing w/ my left hand for a quite a while now, and it is pretty much equal in legibility and quickness to my right hand. Some things I accidentally do w/ my left hand (since switching back to left hand to write) are: eat, and shake w/ my left hand.

This whole thing is sometimes wierd, lol. If someone asks if I'm left handed, sometimes it's easier to say yes. lol. I'm sure there are people in this forum in my boat as well. There is a lot of negative things written about true ambidexterity, like ADHD, dyslexia, schitzophrenia, learning problems, ETC.

Had it not been for my work and right hand injuries, I'm pretty sure I would stay RIGHT HANDED. hehe.
1. gen 16 Mar 2014
  
  Just to clarify, I do not think I am a true ambidextrous. I think true ambidextrous people are children who naturally USE BOTH HANDS. I was born and am naturally LEFT HANDED, was FORCED TO BE RIGHT HANDED, SWITCHED BACK to being LEFT HANDED, of course still have my right hand abilities b/c I have grown up being right handed. hehe.
Brenda Claycamp 11 Mar 2014

I have always known I was forced to write right handed when I was clearly left handed. I didn't realize it but I do most things left handed. I was always doing things backward from others. I am just now learning all the things forcing someone to change can cause. It makes since when I look at my life and the symptoms are there. I was reading two days ago about some symptoms which can be a result of the forced change and I related to 11 out of 12 of them. Had I not been forced to change my life would have been different in many ways. This may seem silly but I have always loved Chinese food but couldn't use chopsticks. People tried to teach me and I just couldn't get it. Yesterday a light bulb went off. My husband brought home some Chinese take out with chopsticks and I decided to try it with my left hand. I did it the first try. I couldn't believe it. This may seem small but it wasn't to me it was a major turning point in my life. I am so thankful for all the information I found on the web just two days ago. I thought I was alone and now see I am not. I am trying to write with my left again which feels good but sure doesn't look to good yet. It is like being gone on a long trip and you pull in your driveway and say we are finally home. Brenda
Southpaw0 02 Mar 2014

Due to health issues, my left side has been weaker than my right since I was 1-years-old. After some Googling, I discovered that handedness is only displayed at 2 years of age, minimum; *but* is formed in the womb.

I consider myself mixed-handed, dominantly right.

However, as I've recently starting writing left-handed, I've been doing many of my "right-handed" tasks left handed, naturally. (and was *very* surprised to discover that my left-handed penmanship is quite neat, and I have more control over it than I would have thought.)

Now I'm starting to wonder if I'm was born a Southpaw, who naturally switched to my right hand out of convenience?

I've struggled to find any real research on this. Help would be greatly appreciated!
Edward James 13 Aug 2013

I'm now 76. When a lad of 7, my parents moved to a very small French Canadian town in the
Gaspe area, in Eastern Quebec. Since I had to go to school, and there was NO english one
in the town of about 3000; I was sent to the local French School. There, we sat in twin desks [side-by-side] and I was seated beside my new French pal Jules [ nicknamed "Pit}. I
was told to simply copy everything that he did. So, I did !
Of importance to this story, is that the school was run my the Catholic Church [I'm a
Protestant]. The teacher in my class was a 'Brother', i.e., a religious person, dressed in the
old-time floor-length black robe used by them at that time. They looked, and acted, very fierce, and brooked no nonsense !!
Noting that I was left-handed, this one "Brother" [sarcasm meant], would grab my writing implement [pen or pencil, I can't remember] out of my left hand and shove it into my right hand, usually with some words I didn't understand at the moment. I, of course, would immediately shift back. [Note: I'm was the only left-hander in our then family of 6]
This happened a number of times, even to the point of having my left hand whacked with a ruler several times. I was even taken to the office for further dressing downs,
Something must have occurred, because, eventually I was allowed to use my left hand.
Since this town, SAYABEC, was a wood milling town, we were among only about 6 English families in the town, so the Company never dreamed of having an English school. However, the next year a school was opened in an unused former office building, and was home to 7 students, spread over 5 Grade levels, all taught by one Teacher who had been brought in from a town about 50 miles away. While not perfect, at least we all got to learn our lessons in English, and I got to write with my right hand, which is my left hand !!
I have never forgotten this experience, but I was not traumatized by it, and I cherish my left-handedness; and I cheer every time I see someone on TV using his/her left hand.
We may be in the minority [10 vs 90%], but WE WILL TAKE OVER THE WORLD SOMEDAY.
Then, those damn righties can look out!!!
Thank you for 'listening', I hope I didn't bore you.
Regards
Edward B.K.James
Nan Jay Barchowsky 10 Aug 2013

In regard to the last case here, is there consideration for those who are ambidextrous, or who may be left-handed, but right-eyed, or other mixed dominance?

Incidentally, I have taught handwriting to many left-handers. I find their legibility and writing speed to be of equal quality to that of right-handers. It is just a matter of paper positioning and posture.
1. Suzy 25 Nov 2013
  
  Nan, I totally agree with you when you said "in so many words" that the "fine art" of penmanship belongs to the left-handed people. When I was a kid it was so hard for me to learn cursive, so I just kept printing everything.... And I did it well! lol
Alan 08 Aug 2013

I emerged from this situation at the age of 26. Not having the benefit of youth and future natural development was maybe why I found it a long haul. I found later in this recovery that doing mirror writing with my left hand was a great way of getting my underused dominant side working again. This would help my forward writing a lot.
In my recovery I would try covering my right eye for a lot of the time also. sometimes this would help improve my reading speed but I never found it a conclusively beneficial therapy for me. I later found that the missuse of co-ordination had made my face muscles and eye focus all tensed up and that the eyes are supposed to be completely relaxed. So my next move was to go for an eye test and then I could relax my eyes properly while wearing spectacles and the frown I had always had on my face went away. this also ended years of intermittent sharp headaches. My reading and concentration during reading were also a lot better.
Both these therapies helped speed up my mind a lot and enabled me to start interacting with the healthy people around me more normally.
1. Sarah 14 Dec 2013
  
  Hi Alan,
  
  How long did it take you to switch back to your left hand? I was forced to write with my right hand as a child and I'm now realizing all of the harmful effects it has caused in my life. I'm 32 and am thinking of switching back to my left hand. Have you noticed a difference since you switched back to left?
William 07 Aug 2013

I get very sad when I hear about people being forced to reject their left handedness. I have heard stories of relatives forced to change at school and I myself was strongly encouraged to learn golf right handed to improve my play. I believe children with autism are gifted, a left handed child with autism is doubly gifted, the fact that we don't understand these gifts is no reason to change them.
I would suggest purchasing a copy of "A Left Handed History Of The World" by Ed Wright, or a similar book to help illustrate just how lucky that child is to be part of such a wonderful group.
Elena 07 Aug 2013

Like many others (sigh!) I was forced to write with the right hand. I am not sure how it affected me, apart from being vey annoyed with the teacher who forced me, since I am quite a happy confident person, I didn't have any problems accademically (I have a PhD), don't have any of the problems that others have endured and in fact I write pretty wll with the right hand.
Having said that...I want to retrain myself to write with the left hand and some of you describe that it can be done. Is there any specific training, book, that I can follow to finally show the world that I am 100% lefty?
Thanks for any suggestions and help,
Elena
Penny 07 Aug 2013

I am one of many left handers in my family. In a Chinese family, to boot. In learning to read and write Chinese, I was all but forced to be right handed...the ruler or chopsticks across the back of my left hand. Anyway, for 1st grade until my first year of college when I decided to change hands again to be left-handed...I can't tell you how freeing it was and how my stuttering stopped almost right away. It wasn't easy and it took about 18 months to get my handwriting to where I could read my notes but I wouldn't go back. I can't even read my right handed writing anymore. My right hand and arm are stronger from more use in a right-handed world but fine motor skills are better with my left. It was like becoming 'me' again and not someone else living a lie. This student should switch back as soon as possible and not go through all the mental anguish.
Jonny 06 Aug 2013

I first noticed that my son was left-handed when I offered him objects - a teddy-bear for example - and his left hand came out to grab it. He writes with his left hand and at football favours his left foot. However, he prefers to use a knife and fork (and plays the guitar) in a right-handed manner. He also plays the piano and there is not much choice about which hand plays the bass on that instrument. I do not think it would be beneficial to force my son to change his knife and fork or guitar skills to conform with the lefty writing and football preference. I think the left-right divide is not absolute. There are grey areas. For example, an average right-handed guitarist has to do a lot of complicated stuff on the fretboard with the left hand while the right hand simply strums. Some left-handers use left=handed guitars. When a left-hander plays a guitar right-handed, they might have better manipulation of the fretboard where the complicated stuff takes place. Maybe right-handers should try playing lefty guitars or pick up their knives and forks the other way. Football and piano may be different: it helps to be equally gifted on both sides.
1. Tecara 29 Jul 2014
  
  I know this is way late but just for anyone wondering.
  
  When it comes to the guitar I think it really is ok to do it that way. I have grown up left handed, not forced right thankfully. I started playing violin when I was in 4th grade. Of course you really can't play a left handed violin in an orchestra since you would be facing in the wrong way bonking people every stroke. So I learned it like everyone else. I do believe however that my technique is much better with my left hand (on the fingerboard) than it is with the right hand. I also have never used a left handed mouse. Although sometimes my right hand does get sore. Does anybody else get this? I think though if I did switch to a left handed mouse it would be really awkward. When I do gaming though where the option is available I use the w,a,s,d keys instead of the arrow keys with my left hand, and if I am on a laptop with a mousepad I use my left hand. I wonder if their is left handed keyboards, and if so would they be a giant pain? (the backspace, enter, arrow keys, and many other often used keys are on the right)

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Changing a forced right-hander back to left-handed

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