If you are wondering why your child is left handed, Find out if there are any lefties in the family. And it is that if one of the parents is left-handed, their descendant has a better chance of inheriting this tendency. At least that is what some experts say, others argue that it is simply a matter of chance.
What in itself seems is that the causes of left-hander are neurological. Being left-handed or right-handed is decided by the brain and, in this it has a lot to do with a father or a mother. But there are those who give the left-hander a genetic explanation: the absence or presence of a gene, specifically the LRRMT1 gene. We are going to talk about all these possibilities in this article, but first we will explain what it means to be left-handed.
What is a left-handed child?
A child is left-handed when he handles his left hand better, to develop a series of basic activities like writing, grabbing, reaching, playing, etc. But remember that up to the age of 4, approximately children handle one hand as well as the other. And you can also be right-handed in the hand and eye, but left-handed in the leg, is what is called crossed laterality.
What is very important if you have a left-handed child is that:
- Left-hander is not a disease. It has existed since man is man, in all civilizations and evolutionary processes. There are more left-handers among whites, Asians and Hispanics.
- It cannot and should not be corrected, since it is a matter that is determined organically from birth.
- This phenomenon occurs more in men than in women. Between 8 and 13 percent of the world's population is left-handed. And in Europe the country with the most left-handers is the United Kingdom, followed by the Netherlands and Belgium.
- The brain is the one who dominates the left-hander.
Possible causes of left-hander
In this there are several theories. It seems that genetics it is the most common cause of left-handedness, as it is more common in children whose families have left-handed members. Have the LRRMT1 gene reverses brain laterality. If we follow a genetic line, four DNA regions have been identified that were strongly related to the left-hander. Three of the regions are within or influence genes that encode proteins involved in brain design and development.
Another theory speaks of the testosterone. Having higher doses of testosterone at 8 weeks gestation, when the male genitalia form, can contribute to the baby becoming left-handed. Also stress during pregnancy can cause an injury in one of the hemispheres, specifically the left, which causes left-handed children.
The ultrasounds, ultrasounds, or scans performed during pregnancy can affect the brain of the fetus causing left-handedness to develop. This has not yet been proven but there are several avenues of investigation open in this regard.
Advantages and curiosities of left-handed children
Before talking about the advantages, we will say that society is not made for lefties, so they have to adapt. A left-handed child is going to be forced to learn to deal with scissors, pens, pencil sharpeners, and desks designed for right-handers, and will have to develop ambidextrous manual skills to function. What's more they are more creative, among other things, because they have a more developed right hemisphere. Some left-handed geniuses have been Leonardo Da Vinci, Albert Einstein, Michelangelo, Escher, Dürer, Mark Twain, HG Wells.
In some sports such as football, tennis or boxing, left-handers, when competing with right-handers, have and advantages that the latter do not have, and are misplaced. Some emblematic left-handed athletes are Lionel Messi, Diego Armando Maradona, Pelé and Rafael Nadal. But, there are other sports that the use of the left hand is not allowed, such as hockey and polo.
The left and right side of the brain that deals with language works more coordinated in left-handed children. So these may be better to perform verbal tasks.