My Son And Ambidexterity

Ambidexterity

Ambidexterity is the ability of being equally adept with each hand (or, to a limited degree, feet). The word "ambidextrous" is derived from the Latin roots ambi, meaning "both," and dext, meaning "right." Thus, "ambidextrous" is literally "right on both sides".

As an inborn trait ambidexterity is rare, though it can be learned. Most ambidextrous people still gravitate towards performing certain types of tasks with a specific hand. The degree of versatility with each hand is generally the qualitative factor in determining a person's ambidexterity. Each side of the brain controls the opposite side of our bodies. Some people have been known to hesitate upon the decision the brain makes while attempting to use either right or left side, most likely the motor controlled side that would benefit most.

In modern times, it is more common to find people considered ambidextrous who were originally left handed, and learned to be ambidextrous either deliberately or during childhood in institutions such as schools where right-handed habits are often emphasized. Ambidexterity is often encouraged in activities requiring a great deal of skill in both hands, such as swimming, percussion or keyboard music, and combat.

Ambidexterity - Famous ambidextrous people

* Robert Baden-Powell
* James Garfield
* Shigeru Miyamoto
* Harry Truman
* Michael Angelo Batio
* Leonardo da Vinci
* James Woods
* Saurav Ganguly
* Ravi Shastri
* Benjamin Franklin
* Paul McCartney
* Bob Cousy
* John G. Roberts, Jr.
* Topher Grace
* Maria Sharapova
* Noel Gallagher
* Dick van Dyke
* Pau Gasol
* Kurt Cobain

An Ambidextrous Child? Or A Processing Disorder?

Some children who appear to be ambidextrous actually have a hidden processing disorder. More often than not, these children end up with two, unskilled hands. These kids need lots of two-handed activities- especially those that cross the middle of the body. A lot of the activities done in Occupational Therapy and Vision Therapy promote this.

Just think, what if you couldn't cross the body easily? You'd have to pick up a pencil on one side of your book with your "helper" hand and move it to the middle so that your dominant hand, or "worker hand," could use it. It would affect your handwriting because diagonal lines cross the midline. Establishing a worker hand and a helper hand is a sign that specialization and maturity in the brain is occurring. Look for this around the age of five years old and reinforce it using two-handed activities that cross the midline of the body.

Some examples include: reaching for bean bags across midline then throwing at a target, making large X and 8 with arms in the air, cross crawling, wheelbarrow walking but crossing hands, and popping bubbles with one hand only.

Handedness is an attribute of humans defined by their unequal distribution of fine motor skill between the left and right hands. An individual who is more dexterous with the right hand is called right-handed, and one who is more skilled with the left is said to be left-handed. A minority of people are equally skilled with both hands, and are termed ambidextrous. People who demonstrate awkwardness with both hands are said to be ambilevous or ambisinister. Ambisinistrous motor skills or a low level of dexterity may be the result of a debilitating physical condition. There are four main types of handedness:

* Right-handedness is most common. Right-handed people are more dexterous with their right hands when performing a task.

* Left-handedness is less common than right-handedness. Left-handed people are more dexterous with their left hands when performing a task. About 8-15% of people are left-handed.[1]

* Mixed-handedness, also known as cross-dominance, is being able to do different tasks better with different hands. For example, mixed-handed persons might write better with their left hand but throw a ball more efficiently with their right hand. However, many writers define handedness by the hand used for writing, so mixed-handedness is often neglected.

* Ambidexterity is exceptionally rare, although it can be learned. A true ambidextrous person is able to do any task equally well with either hand. Those who learn it still tend to sway towards their originally dominant hand.

No one knows for certain why the human population is right-hand-dominant, but a number of theories have been proposed.

Birth stress

This theory's basic premise is that left-handedness is due to brain damage during the birth process. Some statistics support this theory. Difficult or stressful births happen far more commonly among babies who grow up to be left-handed or ambidextrous. Birth stress is also associated with a number of birth defects and complications, including cerebral palsy and autism.

Medical technology and obstetrics has failed to lower the proportion of left handed people, supporting the idea that routine obstetrical care is stressful to the neonate. Routine obstetric care in a hospital setting for low-risk women has not been shown to improve outcomes but has been shown to increase the use of obstetrical interventions during the birth process.

Common routine interventions that may contribute to a baby's stress during birth include non-indicated induction of labor, pharmacological forms of pain relief, restriction of mother's mobility, restriction of mother's food and drink, administration of antibiotics during labor, continuous electronic fetal monitoring, artificial rupture of membranes, directed pushing or pushing in the supine position, immoderate use of forceps delivery or vacuum extraction, elective or excess cesarean section, restriction of access to vaginal birth after cesarean section, early clamping of the umbilical cord, separation of mother and baby, and non-emergency early newborn procedures.