Left-handed children: what causes it and when can parents begin to know?

One in 10 people in this world are born with their dominant left hand, aka left-handed. So, what causes left-handed children from birth, and when can parents know whether their child is left-handed or not since they were still in the womb? Can an ultrasound examination help predict this? Check out the reviews here.

What makes a kid left-handed?

Experts believe that the reason a person can be left-handed comes from the nerves in the spinal cord. Initially, many researchers thought it was the brain's motor cortex that sent signals to the spinal cord to move the hands and feet. However, a study from Ruhr University Bochum in Germany reports that the motor cortex of the brain is not even connected to the spinal cord at 8 weeks of gestation.

In fact, babies can already move their hands in the direction they prefer at that age. the tendency to wear more of the side of the hand has been developing since the 8th week of pregnancy. Meanwhile, the habit of picking your thumb with one side of the hand appeared at week 13 based on an ultrasound examination. In other words, babies have started the movement and can choose their favorite hand even before the brain starts to control their body movements.

This theory was concluded after the research team looked at DNA sequences in the baby's spinal cord at weeks 8 to 12 of pregnancy. They found that the DNA sequences in the nerve segments on the right and left sides of the bone marrow that control the movements of the feet and hands are quite different.

"This is not impossible because many nerve fibers cross from one side to the other at the boundary between the hindbrain and spinal cord," explained Carolien de Kovel, lead author of the study and researcher at the Max Plank Institute for Psycholinguistics. Researchers concluded that this difference could be influenced by the environment, which in turn would affect the baby's growth and development.

Simply put, the development of left-handed hands has occurred since in the womb. Genetic factors and environmental exposure during pregnancy both play a role in making a person left-handed, concluded de Kovel.

When can parents know if their child is left-handed or not?

Although the child has started to show a tendency to use his "favorite" hand from the time he is still in his mother's stomach, this is not a determining factor in whether the child will actually have his left hand or not when he grows up.

Reporting from the Baby Center, most children begin to show dominant hands around the age of 2 or 3 years. There are also those who have been seen since 18 months. Some children can even use both hands equally actively until they are 5 or 6 years old.

If you want to know if your baby is left-handed or not, you can find out by trying to give toys away and waiting for him to reach them. Try rolling the ball and see which hand will grab the ball first. The child will tend to use their dominant hand to reach for the toy because it feels more agile and strong.

Should left-handed children be taught to use the right hand?

Experts argue that parents should not force their child to change their dominant hand if they were born left-handed. Coercion will frustrate children and hinder their learning process because their nervous system and brain are not designed to do everything with their right hand.

What needs to be understood, left-handed hands are not a curse. Every child is a gift and a gift to parents. Encourage children to be confident in their uniqueness and provide children with tools or instruments that are designed for use by left-handed people. For example, left-handed scissors or a guitar for left-handed people.

When the child is old enough, give him the understanding that even though he is different from his peers, it does not mean that he is bad. Remind your child that some of the strongest, smartest, or most accomplished people in the world are left-handed. Describe left-handed characters who can build children's self-confidence.

Left-handed people are even known to have the ability to think creatively and critically beyond expectations, and this is what makes it easier for them later to solve problems either at school or at home. Usually left-handed children have better imagination, creativity, and emotional control than children who are dominant using the right hand.