More support needed for left-handed students

The Education Ministry recognises dyslexia, autism spectrum disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder as special needs that affect children’s ability to cope with learning. And the article “Managing dyslexic kids” (July 17) highlights the challenges of raising dyslexic children.

I believe that more can be done to support left-handed learners. Like dyslexia, strong left-handedness is a cognitive disadvantage.

Research published in the United States’ National Centre for Biotechnology Information had found that left-handed children performed worse than right-handed children “in nearly all measures of development”. The disadvantage is more significant for boys than for girls.

These differentials could not be explained by socio-economic characteristics of the household, parental attitudes or investments in learning resources.

This challenge seems to be borne out by my experience with my son, nine, who struggles with simple arithmetic and problem-solving.

Most people are moderately, strongly or completely right-handed. Fewer than 3 per cent are strongly left-handed, and even fewer are ambidextrous.

As we move away from a one-size-fits-all primary education system, research should be conducted on whether the PSLE, with its focus on bilingualism and technical subjects like mathematics and science, disadvantages strong left-handers.