So, as for the autism/left-handed correlation - this is a FAIL for us.
What about you?
Interesting reading:
Left or Right?
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Autism Prefers the Left Hand
Studies have shown that people with Autism spectrum disorder are more likely to be left-handed than the neurotypical population. But, this is not the case in my family. My husband is left-handed and I'm right-handed. Alex, who is autistic, is positively right handed. There was a time when we wondered if he'd be a lefty but the right hand won over. Now, Belle, the NT diva is shaping up to be left handed. She eats, grasps and tends to do most everything left. We do sometimes see a little switching of hands but a definite preference for left is making my lefty hubby quite proud.
So, as for the autism/left-handed correlation - this is a FAIL for us.
What about you?
Interesting reading:
Left or Right?
So, as for the autism/left-handed correlation - this is a FAIL for us.
What about you?
Interesting reading:
Left or Right?
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10 comments:
Likewise. I'm right handed, hubby is left handed so I was mindful of the possibilities and kept a close eye on developments. All of them are right handed, so that would be a failing theory for us too.
Cheers
This is so interesting! As a lefty myself, I wrote some papers about left-handedness in college, but that was awhile ago, so I didn't find any research about autism. Fascinating.
Interesting. I did not know about this. Neither of our boys is autistic, but my husband is a lefty. We wondered if either of our boys would be lefties, but it turns out they're both right-handed. That whole left-handed vs right-handed thing has always intrigued me.
Pretty sure I have heard this, neat to revisit it. I was supposed to be left-handed, but had an evil teacher change me. I am now mixed-dominance...I do all gross motor with my left hand and all fine motor w/ my right. I am NT, so they say. ;op
We have 4 people in this family on the Spectrum. Only one, my son, is left-handed. Very interesting correlation. I know that left-handers also tend to have a higher rate of dyslexia, as well.
T.
Same with us - I'm right-handed and so is Nigel. Aidan, non-autistic, is left-handed.
Interesting, it sort of holds true for us and sort of not. I am right-handed, dh is left-handed and our twins (both HFA) are lefties too. Our little man (also autistic) is still deciding his preference and switches back and forth as his hands get tired, but he usually starts with his right hand so I think he's going to be a rightie.
Interesting! The only leftie I know in my family/my husband's family is my father. But now both my girls (one ASD, one neurotypical)look like they will be left-handed too.
I and my hubby are both right handed as is our daughter. Our son who has ASD, Dyspraxia, Dyslexia and ADD is left handed. He is right footed whereas I am left footed.
I have noticed that almost half of parents at the ASD support I go to are left handed - a larger proportion than the general population.
It's a pass for me.
What you need to know is that the gene that gives rise to left handedness is a gene of chance - half the people who express it will be left handed, half will be right handed. See Chris McManus' book "Right Hand, Left Hand".
It seems the same gene controls the direction of hair whorl on the head. This effect can also go both ways, so that your left handed daughter has a 50-50 chance of having the less common anti-clockwise hair whorl. By the same token if your autistic son has an anti-clockwise hair whorl you can be certain he is expressing the chance gene. However it doesn't seem to be the case that this gene is the sole cause of autism because although autistic people are more likely to be left handed than the general population it doesn't rise to the level of 50%.
I both my husband and I right handed. The only lefty has autism.
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