Read these incredible left-handers Semenovich online. These incredible lefties. A practical guide for psychologists and parents (Semenovich A.V.). August - International Left-Handers Day

Preface to the book by Anna Vladimirovna Semenovich “These Incredible Lefties: A Practical Guide for Psychologists and Parents.”

In recent years, due to the appearance of a large amount of literature devoted to the mental development of children, interest in those issues that until recently worried little about adults has sharply increased. And if they did worry, then for the most part they remained a secret behind seven seals. It `s naturally. The emergence of information that allows parents, teachers and psychologists to understand why a child has certain problems, why he is not “like everyone else”, contributes to the desire to learn more and more. To a large extent, unfortunately, this is not abstract curiosity, the desire to be more educated, aware and cultured. The current need for these searches is determined by the urgent need associated with the obvious disadvantage observed in the modern child population.

Many children, from the moment of birth, need specialized care from doctors and massage therapists. Then parents are forced to turn to speech therapists, speech therapists and psychologists for support. And educators and teachers helplessly give up, frankly admitting that without special additional support for the child, they cannot teach him fully.

And we must, without unnecessary emotion, admit that they are right: a significant number of modern children actually demonstrate objectively existing signs of insufficiency, lag or distortion of mental development, which naturally leads to problematic social and educational adaptation, requiring targeted, specific correction. Teachers in kindergarten and school cannot and should not do this, since they have completely different tasks and responsibilities. And, although many of them today introduce modern correctional and habilitation (developmental, formative) technologies into the educational process, strictly speaking, they do this “above the program,” only at the expense of their own strength, nerves and time. For which, of course, they deserve the greatest gratitude, and sometimes even admiration. They, in fact, perform a super task, which they formulate for themselves not only (and not so much) out of generosity, but out of awareness of their professional responsibility. After all, otherwise, in many cases, they simply will not be able to achieve a full (at least partially) mastery of their subject.

In general, the same substitution of concepts and responsibilities that is familiar to our country is taking place. A child is often helped not by someone who, by the nature of their profession, knows how to and should do this - specialists qualified in their field, but by someone who wants to help him. This is also facilitated by the fact that many parents present their demands, anxieties and complaints specifically to teachers, and not to themselves and those specialists (psychologists, speech pathologists, doctors, etc.) who, by the nature of their activities, are called upon to provide the child with adequate support and correction.

This situation has its own historical and psychological background. It is always easier and more comfortable to make do with “home” remedies than to recognize the need for radical intervention by a specialist and (most importantly!) implement it. If we practice this even in cases of toothache, then what can we say about problems associated with our psyche.
Of course, there is another side of the coin, when the parents of a child who obviously needs specialized help and correction are strongly recommended to “just hire tutors who will improve him according to .....”.

Sometimes this is true, but, unfortunately, today the situation is such that any tutoring is powerless, since the problems of children's development do not lie in the plane of their laziness or skipping educational topics. Most of them actually demonstrate certain characteristics and deviations of mental development from the moment of birth and need appropriate professional support.

Providing this to a child, his parents and teachers is the prerogative of specially trained specialists: psychologists, neuropsychologists, speech therapists, doctors, psychotherapists, etc. Unfortunately, this assistance is not always adequate and timely. But it’s no secret that we don’t meet a good surgeon (hairdresser, builder, translator, programmer, etc.) at every step: this is the law of the frequency of occurrence of skill in any profession.

Sometimes you have to overcome giant labyrinths before you discover exactly the exit that opens the way for the child and his environment to normalization (even relative) of an alarming situation.

The search and choice by parents and teachers of such an effective path is indeed not an easy task: after all, it is a priori difficult to determine both the professional level of a specialist and the adequacy of the approach that he offers to the problems of a particular child. The variety of points of view and recommendations (sometimes directly contradicting each other) can confuse anyone.

Meanwhile, it is a productive alliance, a true partnership between different specialists and the child’s immediate environment, that is the key to an optimal result. It is important for all parties not only because unique information about a child’s problems can only be obtained by considering them in full: both from the point of view of professionals and from the point of view of the mother (caregiver, teacher, etc.). The main thing is that special correction of mental development deficiency is, by definition, unthinkable without its inclusion in a complex system of family and social relations.

What should parents be guided by when choosing this or that form of psychological or any other support (preventive, correctional or habilitation) for their “problem” child? It seems that the main guideline here can be a single criterion. A good professional will always, based on their research, change their point of view on what is happening to the child.

This does not mean that they will like her. On the contrary, options are possible and even more likely when adults are fully presented with the complexity of the situation, which, to put it mildly, is not inspiring. But the advantage (gain) of this new point of view is undeniable - parents, psychologists and teachers begin to see the situation as more holistic, information-rich and understand the logic of their further joint actions towards harmonizing the child’s development.

A high-class professional will always explain his conclusion in simple words, illustrating it with specific, clear examples drawn both from the parents’ story and from his own data obtained during the examination of the child. It will conclusively demonstrate that his problems in everyday life and at school (kindergarten, nursery, etc.) are two sides of the same coin, which is the basic reason in which the main obstacles to his normal adaptation are rooted.

And it turns out that these obstacles did not appear yesterday, or a year ago; they gradually grew up with the child, starting from the period of his intrauterine development. And both various kinds of genetic prerequisites and flaws in upbringing took part in their formation.

Why is a child unable to master this or that curriculum, conflicts with the environment, hyperactive, exhausted, aggressive, etc.? What are the essential, core characteristics and mechanisms of its weak (and certainly strong) sides? Why and why should he undergo additional examinations by other specialists? Finally, why and why is it necessary for a child (with the indispensable participation and help of the adult environment) to engage in the proposed correctional (preventive or habilitation) program? If, at an appointment with a specialist, convincing answers to these questions are received, and a new image of the problem situation arises, a different perspective (retrospective and prospective) - it means that what the child needs today has been found.

Psychological disadaptation [?] (not to be confused with maladjustment!) of children has indeed become not the most joyful, but very characteristic sign of our time. Oddities of behavior, inability to communicate, learning difficulties, and finally, obvious delays or distortions in the development of various mental functions - discussion of these problems has long ceased to be the prerogative of specialists. General competence in the field of psychology, in particular, mental development (along with politics and art) has become a sign of erudition and good form.

Terms such as “attention deficit and hyperactivity”, “delayed psycho-motor and speech development”, “dysgraphia and dyslexia”, “emotional inadequacy” and other diagnoses have firmly entered the everyday vocabulary. It sounds something like this: “So he’s left-handed!? Then everything is clear.” But all these concepts are a statement of fact, and not an explanatory model. But they are often used precisely as a comprehensive explanation. For example, a child cannot adapt to school rules, jumps up in class, is very distractible, etc. This is explained by the fact that he has “attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.” With left-handers in general, as you know, “everything is clear.” What, exactly, is clear?

The above is only the visible part of the iceberg that forms the phenomenon of “deviant development”. It, like any other phenomenon of human existence, has a complex structure of intertwined, intimately interacting negative and positive sides. Therefore, everything is much more complicated, and at the same time, less fatal than the information contained in any special diagnosis or highly professional statement.

The preparation of this book was largely determined by bewilderment at such a familiar (and at the same time full of anxious expectations) treatment of the extremely complex, dynamic and multifaceted picture that is the “mental development of the child.” There are no and cannot be unambiguous, once and for all answers and solutions. There is a long, painstaking, sometimes winding path to the truth, requiring repeated returns to seemingly long-ago points and patience in overcoming the most “foggy” areas.

For centuries, heated discussions have been and will continue to be held about the laws of mental development in general. Representatives of various scientific disciplines offer their interpretations, approaches and hypotheses regarding the phenomena, mechanisms and stages of ontogenesis (Greek ontos - existing, genete - origin, genus; i.e. the history of the development of an individual) of a person. And what goes beyond the “norm of reaction”, that is, the generally normative, standard (be it the child’s outstanding abilities or, on the contrary, negative developmental deviations), all the more becomes a point of intersection, and sometimes a collision, of many diverse and multidirectional professional points vision.

As you know, thought is material and this is not a metaphor. The thoughts we express, regardless of whether they are spoken out loud or to ourselves, have a “tendency” to take on very unambiguous, imperative guidance of our behavior. Unbeknownst to ourselves, we begin to live and act exactly as we just told ourselves. In psychology, this is defined as a “self-fulfilling expectation.” The great scientist G.G. Gadamer, one of the founders of hermeneutics - the science of understanding meaning, said: “The question behind the statement is the only thing that gives it meaning... To say something is to give an answer.” In the context of this discussion, this brilliant idea is very relevant.

As soon as we are satisfied with the unambiguous definition given to the child’s condition and stop asking ourselves questions about what factors and mechanisms are hidden behind this “facade,” we are doomed to perceive his problems as if in fragments. It is even sadder when this fragmentation is aggravated by ignorance or ignorance (or perhaps unwillingness to know) of some specific features for a given child.

After all, what (and how) we perceive is the fundamental guide to our thoughts, conclusions and actions. To illustrate what has been said, let us consider an elementary example in which the same object, seen from different angles, will be interpreted as two, and practically in no way similar to each other.

Imagine a huge branchy tree. Now forget that you know what a “tree” is.

If you look at “it” from above from a great height (for example, from an airplane), you will only see a large array of something green (“facade”). You may be able to see differences in shape or color. And that’s all: after all, you can only see the crown. Neither branches, nor individual leaves, much less the trunk, are visible from above.

If you look at “it” from below, it turns out that “it” grows from the ground, branches diverge from the trunk in different directions, each of which gives rise to many smaller ones, on them...etc. In other words, we will see a holistic image of heterogeneous, but clearly interconnected parts.

Especially often, “self-fulfilling expectations” are confirmed when the diagnosis is repeated day after day and repeated by the child’s immediate environment, hypnotized by its sound. Without realizing it or wanting to, adults predetermine their behavior and attitude towards the child. Naturally, the consequence is the child’s response to the “expectations” of adults.

The most striking examples here are children who speak poorly. Repeating his “diagnosis” every day (also, paradoxically, his justification), parents involuntarily, without wanting to and without realizing it, begin to talk to him less and, naturally, do not expect anything from him except isolated gestures or babble. It is clear that in such a situation the child’s speech (not demanded from the outside) does not strive for its external expression - after all, he was already understood, he got what he wanted. Why then even try to say something?

Similarly, with complaints about awkwardness, reluctance to draw, aggressiveness, etc. The most frequent remarks from parents: “We were told that he has a delay in psycho-motor development (neurosis, hypertension syndrome, etc.). All his life, almost from birth, they massaged him, gave him medications, but the problems still remain. Why am I going to torment him?! What kind of upbringing are you talking about?! After all, he begins to cry, or even completely falls into aggression. It’s easier for me to do everything myself.”

Experience shows that in the attitude of adults to the problems of a child, there are almost always at least three purely logical errors.

The first is that a diagnosis (any diagnosis, even the most unfavorable one) is not a sentence that cannot be appealed. This is, firstly, a statement of the presence of a particular deficiency in a child, the causes and mechanisms of which must be identified and comprehensively analyzed, and secondly, a guide to actively counteract the influence of this deficiency on the actual development and entire subsequent fate of the child.

Therefore, there is no point in thinking about it (the diagnosis), crying and repeating its wording every hour, like “Our Father.” It would be wiser and more efficient to spend this time looking for specialists who will advise and help find a way out of this situation. That is, they are able to answer questions about the root causes and consequences of the existing deficiency and, accordingly, select a corrective, preventive or developmental program that is suitable specifically for this type of development.

The basic commandments (they are also repeatedly confirmed truths) are obvious. We will never fully help a child if we do not see the whole picture of his type of development. Of course, this is an ideal, but it is necessary to strive for it; Moreover, modern research methods provide ever greater prospects along this path. On the other hand, there is no such pathological or prepathological condition in which the child would not be given a certain potential for development by nature. Yes, it is very different for different children, but you need to use it fully, without stopping at what has been achieved, which immediately satisfies you.

It is you who are satisfied, not the child's development program. Today you all have a good time. Unless, of course, you don’t take into account everything that you close your eyes to or see, but drive away bad feelings from yourself. But he will have to grow up further, he will be faced with more and more new tasks of adapting to this world.

The second mistake is a “pseudo-democratic” attitude towards the child’s wishes. First of all, in the confidence that the word “should” is relevant for him. Not at all! For any child, especially those demonstrating special needs and developmental deviations, only the verb “I want” is available and dominant. He should not speak, learn to use the toilet, read, etc. In any case, until he can feel comfortable enough without all this hassle. He must want to speak and do many other things.

And this desire can appear in him only in response to demands, requests from adults and elementary copying of their behavior (movements, speech, actions, scandals, etc.). Remember, Mowgli children continued to walk on all fours until the age when people found them; they imitated and learned from those around them.

Remember how often, as adults, we remember with gratitude those who “even though I don’t want to” stubbornly continued to take us to the pool, museums, music, dance, and English classes; look for answers to your questions in classical literature and heavy dictionaries, and not be satisfied with the point of view of class friends and action heroes.

The third mistake is that in the process of communicating with a child, the amplitude of the pendulum of parental love acquires an absolutely unjustified character: from demands on him as an adult to treatment as an infant. This is especially pronounced in cases of “two-three powers” (mom, dad, grandmother, teacher, etc.). Meanwhile, this pendulum must swing at certain median values, which must be strictly correlated with the age and character of the child. The boundaries of “yes”, “no” and “choose yourself” should be unshakable. And all the discussions between adults do not in any way affect the overall strategy of relationships with the child.

Otherwise, chaos will form in his poor head, in his “picture of the world” and himself in this world, which he cannot cope with. After all, for him, our reasons and motivations, the reasons why demands from the outside are changing so rapidly, are completely unobvious, moreover, incomprehensible and inexplicable. For the time being, he sees himself only in the mirror of our attitude towards him: hugs and kisses, claims and punishments, encouragement and delight.

This book is addressed not only to specialists - psychologists and teachers, but also to the child’s immediate environment. The concentration of attention on the discussion of children with the presence of the left-handedness factor is predetermined by the fact that this phenomenon, as a rule, is perceived as unusual and raises the greatest number of questions. On the other hand, such children can indeed demonstrate a rather exotic picture of their development. That is why the title is somewhat pompous (pompous): “These incredible left-handers.”

They are truly amazing and extraordinary. They ask scientists riddles and are not very willing to reveal their secrets. Therefore, they deserve to be heroes of psychological literature again and again. It seems that it is useful for both professionals and parents to again carefully consider and discuss their problems in order to once again think about what is behind such a familiar and such an incomprehensible word “left-handed”?
It is probably not an exaggeration to say that the mystery of left-handedness is one of the intensely discussed and still mysterious problems in the human sciences. It is a mystery, let us emphasize this. Because, despite many years of research in this area of human existence, the number of unresolved questions here is an order of magnitude greater than the answers already received. Moreover, new finds and discoveries give rise to more and more new questions. And so on endlessly.
Sometimes it seems that the right solution has finally been found, but new facts appear, new phenomena are discovered, and we have to once again rethink the entire body of information received. Build new hypotheses, test them experimentally, confirming, and sometimes refuting, your own guesses. And in the end, we come to the same optimistic conclusion that the world-famous sleep researcher M. Jouvet came to: “We still don’t know anything about the nature of sleep, we just don’t know at a higher scientific level.”

We are learning more and more about the nature of left-handedness, but this problem still attracts researchers from various directions. This is quite understandable, but what is not clear is why there are, in essence, so few of these studies. Firstly, the “left-handedness” of a certain part of people has always, in all centuries, attracted the attention of those who do not possess this quality. Secondly, the features of this part of humanity are so demonstrative, and sometimes incredible, that they simply “beg” under the microscope of interdisciplinary scientific research.

Before a child enters a neuropsychologist’s office, parents or teachers accompanying him are asked to fill out a card where, among other things, they are asked to formulate their complaints and the reasons that prompted them to seek special consultation. It would not be an exaggeration to say that in almost half of the cases this column says “left-handedness.” All! It turns out that left-handedness (or “left-handedness,” “hidden left-handedness,” etc.) is the main reason why a child needs consultation and help from a psychologist. Further, the drama of the conversation develops something like this:

Psychologist (P): “What worries you?”
Parents (R): “Is he left-handed?”
P: “I don’t know yet. Is there anything that worries you about his behavior or development? What exactly?"
R: “I was told that he is left-handed, I would like to clarify this?”
P: “This is understandable, but let’s start with what specifically worries or surprises you about your child?”
R: “Yes, of course! But what about his left-handedness? Actually, he does everything with his right hand, but I was told that he is a hidden left-hander?”

It is clear that further examination of the child will put everything in its place. But the mesmerizing effect that the word “left-handed” has is simply amazing. This hypnosis can only be compared with the use of mysterious shamanic chants: what their meaning is is not clear to anyone, but it captivates you to the very depths.

This book is written as a dialogue with parents, psychologists and teachers, who are often interlocutors with a neuropsychologist when discussing the problems of left-handed children. It is their concern about the peculiarities of the child’s development that initiates seeking help from various specialists. Therefore, it seems important, in the form of such “correspondence” communication, to try to summarize the most frequently encountered issues and show ways out of seemingly dead-end situations.

Despite the fact that in recent years the problem of left-handedness in children has quite often become the topic of various publications, discussion of many features of this phenomenon remains “behind the scenes”. This is understandable: within the framework of various disciplines, the phenomenon of left-handedness is discussed from certain positions that are essential specifically for a given specialty. There are two main trends in this area of knowledge.

The first is that the emphasis of the analysis is on two questions: “What are the difficulties of a left-handed child?” and “How to overcome these difficulties?”

The second (which distinguishes the neuropsychological approach) is that the key, core questions become: “What is the phenomenon of left-handedness in general?” Is there a specificity of its brain organization?”, “What are the basic neuropsychological mechanisms of the emergence of peculiarities of the mental development of left-handed children?” “How to establish the presence of this phenomenon in a child and qualify it: after all, there is natural (genetic) left-handedness and pathological, compensatory, ambidexterity? Is the influence of the factor of family left-handedness found in the development of a child, if he himself is right-handed, etc.?”, “Is left-handedness an unambiguous marker indicating left-handedness?”

Already from the difference in the formulation of questions, it is obvious that the direction of reasoning in each case, and, accordingly, the search for answers will be qualitatively different. Neuropsychology answers the questions posed to it as follows.

Natural, genetically determined left-handedness is a reflection of the specific, unique in its kind functional organization of the human nervous system (primarily the brain). Let us emphasize the definition “natural”, since the phenomenon of left-handedness as a single, homogeneous phenomenon does not exist in nature. In reality, there are several of its types, fundamentally different in their origin, and, consequently, in all basic neuropsychological characteristics.

Therefore, it is possible to discuss the structure, manifestations and all the variety of specific problems associated with this phenomenon only after a clear definition of what kind of “left-handedness” we are talking about; and whether we are even talking about left-handedness or a temporary preference for the left hand. This is the only way to competently and correctly program differential diagnostic, correctional, preventive and habilitation (developmental) work with a child.

The concepts “left-handedness” and “left-handedness”, therefore, are not synonymous (at least in neuropsychology).

Left-handedness is a term that reflects the preference for active use of the left hand, i.e. an external manifestation of the fact that for some reason the right hemisphere of the brain has taken upon itself (temporarily or permanently) the main, leading role in ensuring voluntary human movements.

Left-handedness is a manifestation of a stable, unchanging psychophysiological characteristic, a specific type of functional organization of the nervous system (primarily the brain) of a person, which has fundamental differences from that of right-handers, if this left-handedness is true, genetically given.

These two fundamental types and methods of brain organization of human mental activity, formed in evolution, will be discussed in detail in special sections of the book. Here it is important to emphasize the fact that the type of brain organization (right-handedness and left-handedness, respectively) and the preference for one or another hand (right- or left-handedness, respectively) do not always coincide.

Very often, especially in the modern child population, which will also be discussed in detail below, left-handedness turns out to be a temporary, latent trait. It simply reflects the fact of a delay in the formation of interhemispheric relationships in a child and the consolidation of specialization, dominance of the left hemisphere of the brain (right hand) in relation to all dynamic motor functions that progressively unfold over time (eating, using household appliances, drawing, writing, etc.). As the functional potential of the left hemisphere increases, in such cases a “magical transformation” of a left-handed person into a right-handed person occurs.

And the last thing I would like to talk about here is the question of “hidden left-handedness.” This does not exist in nature! If, in the process of researching your child, you are told about his hidden left-handedness, you can safely ask the question: “Who is his left-handedness hidden from?” Since you probably won’t get an answer, or it will be unintelligible and incredibly scientific, you can safely thank you for your time and go in search of another, more qualified specialist.

Neuropsychological correction and habilitation of children with the presence of the left-handedness factor is not something absolutely specific. After reading the presented material and mastering the ideology of neuropsychological correction and habilitation set forth in the following chapters, you will be convinced that this ideology is universal; It is only important to correctly qualify the child’s difficulties and select an appropriate program of psychological and pedagogical support for him.

After all, both right-handers and left-handers may have unformed spatial representations, speech and motor processes, etc. Another question is that in left-handed children all these signs of deviant development may have a more generalized, complex nature, due to the qualitative uniqueness of the brain organization of their mental development. That is why its main characteristics must be known, be able to identify (see) and be taken into account. At least so that the extraordinary, incredible, extraordinary properties of these children (positive and negative) are not an obstacle to adequate interaction with them, but its vector and support.

If the book interests you, you can purchase your own copy on the website of the Publishing House of Psychological Literature "Genesis".

Book's contents:

Introduction
Chapter 1. Basic neuropsychological patterns of developmental processes

Chapter 2.The law of the “mirror”: look closely at your child

Chapter 3. The phenomenon of left-handedness from the perspective of neuropsychology
Atypia of mental development

Chapter 4.

Attention skills and overcoming behavioral stereotypes
Competing actions
Error detection
Cause-and-effect relationships
Polysemy and hierarchy of concepts.
Generalizing function of a word

Chapter 5. And the nose is pulled out - and the tail doesn’t get stuck
Correction and habilitation of neuropsychosomatic status
Breath
Massage and self-massage
Stretch marks
Formation and correction of basic sensorimotor interactions
Oculomotor repertoire
General motor repertoire

Chapter 6. Don't rush the lefty!
Optimization of speech processes in interaction with other mental processes
Integration of the sensorimotor repertoire
Motor melody, agility, accuracy
Optimization of speech processes, writing and reading

Chapter 7. The mysterious space of lefties
Formation of spatial representations
Somatognostic and tactile-kinesthetic functions
Visual perception
Drawing, designing and copying
Logical-grammatical “quasi-spatial” speech constructions

Publishing house of psychological literature Genesis

Experience shows that in the attitude of adults to a child’s problems there are almost always at least three purely logical errors.

The first is diagnosis. (any, even the most unfavorable) is not a sentence that cannot be appealed. This is, firstly, a statement of the presence of a particular deficiency in a child, the causes and mechanisms of which must be identified and comprehensively analyzed, and secondly, a guide to actively counteract the influence of this deficiency on the actual development and entire subsequent fate of the child.

The basic commandments (they are also repeatedly confirmed truths) are obvious. We will never fully help a child if we do not see the whole picture of his type of development. Of course, this is an ideal, but it is necessary to strive for it; Moreover, modern research methods provide ever greater prospects along this path. On the other hand, there is no such pathological or prepathological condition in which the child would not have been given by nature a certain potential for development. Yes, it is very different for different children, but you need to use it fully, without stopping at what has been achieved, which immediately satisfies you.

Second mistake lies in a “pseudo-democratic” attitude towards the child’s wishes. First of all, in the confidence that the word “should” is relevant for him. Not at all! For any child, especially those demonstrating special needs and developmental deviations, only the verb “I want” is available and dominant. He should not speak, learn to use the toilet, read, etc. In any case, until he can feel comfortable enough without all this hassle. He must want to speak and do many other things.

Third mistake is that in the process of communicating with a child, the amplitude of the pendulum of parental love acquires an absolutely unjustified character: from demands on him as an adult to treatment as an infant. This is especially pronounced in cases of “two-three powers” (mom, dad, grandmother, teacher, etc.). Meanwhile, this pendulum must swing at certain median values, which must be strictly correlated with the age and character of the child. The boundaries of “yes”, “no” and “choose yourself” should be unshakable. And all the discussions between adults do not in any way affect the overall strategy of relationships with the child.

It is probably not an exaggeration to say that the mystery of left-handedness is one of the intensely discussed and still mysterious problems in the human sciences. It is a mystery, let us emphasize this. Because, despite many years of research in this area of human existence, the number of unresolved questions here is an order of magnitude greater than the answers already received. Moreover, new finds and discoveries give rise to more and more new questions. And so on endlessly.

Sometimes it seems that the right solution has finally been found, but new facts appear, new phenomena are discovered, and we have to once again rethink the entire body of information received. Build new hypotheses, test them experimentally, confirming, and sometimes refuting, your own guesses. And in the end, we come to the same optimistic conclusion that the world-famous sleep researcher M. Jouvet came to: “We still don’t know anything about the nature of sleep, we just don’t know at a higher scientific level.”

Further, the drama of the conversation develops something like this:

Psychologist (P): “ What worries you?»
Parents (R): “ Is he left-handed?
P: " I don't know yet. Is there anything that worries you about his behavior or development? What exactly?"
R: " I was told that he is left-handed, I would like to clarify this?”
P: " This is understandable, but let’s start with what specifically worries or surprises you about your child?”
R: " Yes, sure! But what about his left-handedness? Actually, he does everything with his right hand, but I was told that he is a hidden left-hander?”

The first is that the emphasis in the analysis is on two questions: “What are the child’s difficulties? left-handed? and “How to overcome these difficulties?”

The concepts “left-handedness” and “left-handedness”, therefore, are not synonymous (at least in neuropsychology).

Left-handedness- a manifestation of a stable, unchanging psychophysiological characteristic, a specific type of functional organization of the nervous system (primarily the brain) of a person, which has fundamental differences from that of right-handers, if this left-handedness is true, genetically given.

It is addressed not only to specialists - psychologists and teachers, but also to the child’s immediate environment. The focus on discussing children with the presence of the left-handedness factor is predetermined by the fact that this phenomenon is usually perceived as unusual and raises many questions. On the other hand, such children can indeed demonstrate a rather exotic picture of their development.
That is why the title is somewhat pompous: “These incredible left-handers.”

August 13 is International Left-Handed Day. Attention! This article does not incite hatred towards the “right-handed” social class, if only because there are many more right-handers and they rule the world. At least right-handers naively think so.

Oleg "Orange" Bocharov

The first links on the Internet say that only every seventh or eighth person is left-handed. The trouble is that they are quite difficult to count, identify and isolate, since many left-handers masquerade as right-handers, some are not actually left-handed, but bisexual... that is, we wanted to write “ambidexterous”.

It is especially troublesome to identify immigrants from the USSR: Soviet education obliged teachers to retrain left-handers to be right-handed at all costs (although many teachers, physiologists and psychologists were categorically against this practice). As a result, those left-handers, from whom the USSR raised partial right-handers, now work with both hands, have terrible handwriting, feel mentally unbalanced and hate Soviet pedagogy. The abuse of left-handed children in the USSR stopped only in 1986.

Let's assume that a left-hander is someone who, from birth, performs basic operations (eating, computer, drawing, shaving, killing) with his left hand. Although in life, even a hardcore fanatical left-hander can entrust some actions with great pleasure to his right hand.

Therefore, attempts to count, for example, all the brilliant left-handed guitarists are doomed to failure. Yes, Paul McCartney, Jimi Hendrix show off in photographs with left-handed instruments at the ready. However, the reality is that the majority of left-handed guitarists play and pose as right-handers because it is easier to learn and easier to find the right instrument.

Identifying a left-handed person without beating him or interrogating him with a soldering iron is as easy as shelling pears: sharply ask him to put his hands in a “lock”, that is, interlace the fingers of both hands. For right-handers, the thumb of the right hand is at the top, for left-handers, the thumb of the left hand is at the top. Surely there are exceptions to the method, so if it doesn’t work and the left-hander doesn’t confess, you can move on to the soldering iron.

There is a basic theory that right-handers have a better developed left hemisphere of the brain, while left-handers have a better developed right hemisphere. We, left-handers, are deeply pleased to realize this, since our right hemisphere is cooler. Well, judge for yourself.

The left hemisphere (the favorite hemisphere of all right-handed people) is responsible for:

Speech, writing, learning, receiving, analyzing, processing and remembering incoming data (linguistic, mathematical, etc.), and for moving the right half of the body;

the right hemisphere (the favorite hemisphere of us wonderful lefties) is responsible for:

Intuition, processing of figurative information, spatial orientation, musicality, metaphors, imagination, emotions, multi-threaded thinking, movements of the right limbs and - oops - for sex too!

In other words, right-handers are born accountants, managers and soldiers. And left-handers are writers, artists, musicians, bloggers, film directors, porn stars, poets and alcoholics. The question remains: who are you with?

At the same time, left-handed people can easily make their way to the very top in areas that are infinitely far from creativity.

The most famous modern US presidents turned out to be left-handed: Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama. Yes, yes, blacks also have a good, pumped right hemisphere of the brain. What about Obama? Ours is also left-handed and a little bit black.

But the ill-fated President Nixon is a sad right-hander. Who would doubt that!

There are persistent rumors in journalistic circles that V.V. Putin, whom you know well, is probably a hidden left-hander. It is possible that here we are talking about the same overeducated Soviet schoolchild, as mentioned at the beginning of the article.

Another instructive list: Guy Julius Caesar, Alexander the Great, Joan of Arc, Napoleon Bonaparte, Winston Churchill, Fidel Castro and Mahatma Gandhi are left-handed.

Adolf Hitler is right-handed.

Think again: who are you with?

I don’t even want to raise the topic of actors, musicians, directors and artists: there are so many of them, and we have an article here, not a telephone directory. Just being observant is enough. Does anything in the frame below confuse you?

By the way, this frame is missing, who is also left-handed. But we have collected a million more interesting frames. Look how gracefully Scarlett Johansson signs autographs with her left paw.

The advantages that left-handers receive in sports are very interesting. And not even obvious at first glance. For example, the two greatest football players of the last century - Pele and Maradona - are left-handed. Now do you understand what Maradona meant by the hand of God?

Football is actually a symmetrical sport, and the special talents of left-handers Pele and Maradona can be chalked up to coincidence (albeit a little too, oh so suspicious).

Boxing, fencing, tennis are those sports where left-handedness is generally considered a special advantage.

Because a right-hander, by definition, rarely encounters a left-hander in the arena, and he has many times less experience of confrontation against left-handers than left-handers against right-handers. In almost all sports where there are martial arts and fights of this kind, the number of successful left-handers is many times greater than the statistical norm.

So, when humanity, after the Third World War, again slides to the level of cave monkeys, left-handed people will win much more often in fights for the title of leader. And left-handers will rule the planet!

The apocalypse, of course, is wonderful, but do we, left-handers, have any advantages over right-handers in everyday life?

Let's take the simplest and most understandable thing that exists in our world - a computer. Imagine that your mouse is not on the right, but on the left of the keyboard. And you play Fallout/Starcraft/Dota/CounterStrike - or anything that requires simultaneous operation of a mouse and keyboard. So, for right-handed people, by default, buttons are assigned somewhere in the depths of the keyboard - such as WASD. At the same time, a left-handed person, as a free and advanced person, can put his hand on much more comfortable buttons - arrows and numpad.

By the way, according to statistics, there has always been an unusually high concentration of left-handers among video game champions. However, analysts also explain this by the psychophysical advantages of left-handed people, such as: the ability to concentrate consciousness on many objects and easily act intuitively (immediately as soon as a left-handed person hears in his head: “Use the power, Luke”).

Marketing and logistics experts have found that left-handers are much faster at shopping in crowded hypermarkets. This is because they browse the shelves and pick up items in a different direction than other customers, and as a result, they have to push less and stand in lines.

Scientists have proven in fairly simple experiments that, under equal initial conditions, left-handers often act differently than right-handers. For example, if a group of subjects are asked to choose a left or right picture, right-handers tend to choose the right one, and left-handers tend to choose the one on the left. It would seem like a trifle, but on its basis one can draw far-reaching conclusions - for example, for whom left-handers and right-handers will vote, depending on the design of the ballot.

Thus, if 10-15 beautiful girls line up in a row apply for you at once, then the one who knows what kind of hand you have has a good chance. Don't listen to the call of your heart, shut up the call of your mind. The hand itself will choose the right girl!

What are you saying? Have you ever been approached by 10-15 beautiful girls? Strange... Although, if you are right-handed, it is understandable.

Semenovich A.V.

These incredible lefties:

A practical guide for psychologists and parents.

M.: Genesis, 2008.

The book was written by a famous neuropsychologist, professor at Moscow State University of Psychology and Education, author of monographs and practical manuals. It is addressed to psychologists, teachers, defectologists, parents and everyone who is concerned about the problems of left-handed children.

The author summarizes the most frequently encountered questions and shows ways out of seemingly dead-end situations. The neuropsychological patterns of the phenomenon of left-handedness, the main features of the development of “left-handed children” are described, and specific recommendations and sets of exercises for practicing with them are given.

Introduction 4

Chapter 1. Basic neuropsychological patterns of developmental processes 20

Chapter 2. The law of the “mirror”: look closely at your child 44

Chapter 3. The phenomenon of left-handedness from the perspective of neuropsychology 60

Atypia of mental development 77

Chapter 4. Big tricks of little lefties 84

Formation of voluntary self-regulation 97

Attention skills and overcoming behavioral stereotypes 99

Competing actions 102

Error detection 103

Cause-and-effect relationships 109

Polysemy and hierarchy of concepts. Generalizing function of word 112

Chapter 5. And the nose is pulled out - and the tail doesn’t get stuck 116

Correction and habilitation of neuropsychosomatic status 119

Breath 120

Massage and self-massage 124

Stretch marks 130

Formation and correction of basic sensorimotor interactions 136

Oculomotor repertoire 136

General motor repertoire 138

Chapter 6. Don't rush the left-hander! 145

Optimization of speech processes in interaction with other mental processes 148

Integration of the sensorimotor repertoire 151

Motor melody, agility, accuracy 165

Optimization of speech processes, writing and reading 171

Chapter 7. The mysterious space of lefties 186

Formation of spatial representations 195

Somatognostic and tactile-kinesthetic functions 199

Visual perception 209

Drawing, designing and copying 212

Logical-grammatical “quasi-spatial” speech structures 216

Conclusion 223

Introduction

“We can insist, really insist, even if we know that what we are doing is useless,” don Juan said, smiling. - But first we must know that our actions are useless, andyet act as if we do not know. 1

C. Castaneda

In recent years, due to the appearance of a large amount of literature devoted to the mental development of children, interest in those issues that until recently worried little about adults has sharply increased. And if they did worry, then for the most part they remained a secret behind seven seals. It `s naturally. Appearance information that allows parents, teachers and psychologists to understand why a child has certain problems, why he is not “like everyone else”, promotes the desire to learn more and more. To a large extent, unfortunately, this is not abstract curiosity, the desire to be more educated, aware and cultured. The current need for these searches is determined by the urgent need associated with the obvious disadvantage observed in the modern child population.

Many children from the moment of birth need specialized help from doctors and massage therapists. Then parents are forced to turn to speech therapists, speech therapists and psychologists for support. And educators and teachers helplessly give up, frankly admitting that without special additional support for the child they cannot teach him fully.

And we must admit that they are right without unnecessary emotions: a significant number of modern children actually demonstrate objectively existing signs of insufficiency, retardation and/or distortions of mental development, which naturally leads to problematic social and educational adaptation, requiring targeted, specific correction. Teachers in kindergarten and school cannot and should not do this, since they have completely different tasks and responsibilities. And although many of them today introduce modern correctional and habilitation (developmental, formative) technologies into the educational process, strictly speaking, they do this “above the program,” only at the expense of their own strength, nerves and time. For which, of course, they deserve the greatest gratitude, and sometimes even admiration. They, in fact, perform a super task, which they formulate for themselves not only (and not so much) out of generosity, but out of awareness of their professional responsibility. After all, otherwise, in many cases, they simply will not be able to achieve a full (at least partially) mastery of their subject.

In general, the same substitution of concepts and responsibilities that is familiar to our country is taking place. It is often not the one who helps the child by the nature of his profession can And must this is done by a qualified specialist in his field, and the one who wants help him. This is also facilitated by the fact that many parents present their demands, anxieties and complaints specifically to teachers, and not to themselves and those specialists (psychologists, speech pathologists, doctors, etc.) who, by the nature of their activities, are called upon to provide the child with adequate support and correction.

Of course, there is another side to the coin, when the parents of a child who obviously needs specialized help and correction are strongly recommended to “just hire tutors who will improve him according to...”.

Sometimes you have to overcome giant labyrinths before you discover exactly the exit that opens the way for the child and his environment to normalization (even relative) of an alarming situation.

Meanwhile, it is a productive alliance, a true partnership between different specialists and the child’s immediate environment, that is the key to an optimal result. It is important for all parties not only because it is possible to obtain unique information about the child’s problems by considering them in detail: both from the point of view of professionals and from the point of view of the mother (educator, teacher, etc.). The main thing is that Special correction of mental development deficiency is, by definition, unthinkable without its inclusion in a complex system of family and social relations.

What should parents be guided by when choosing this or that form of psychological or any other support (preventive, correctional or habilitation) for their “problem” child? It seems that the main guideline here can be a single criterion. A good professional will always, based on their research, change their point of view on what is happening to the child.

This does not mean that they will like her. On the contrary, options are possible and even more likely when adults are fully presented with the complexity of the situation, which, to put it mildly, is not inspiring. But the advantage of this new point of view is undeniable - parents, psychologists and teachers begin see the situation as more holistic, information-rich and understand the logic of their further joint actions towards harmonizing the child’s development.

A high-class professional will always explain his conclusion in simple words, illustrating it with specific, clear examples drawn both from the parents’ story and from his own data obtained during the examination of the child. It will conclusively demonstrate that his problems in everyday life and at school (kindergarten, nursery, etc.) are two sides of the same coin, which is the underlying reason in which the main obstacles to his normal adaptation.

It turns out that these obstacles appeared not yesterday or a year ago; they gradually grew up with the child, starting from the period of his intrauterine development. And both various kinds of genetic prerequisites and flaws in upbringing took part in their formation.

Why is a child unable to master this or that curriculum, conflicts with the environment, hyperactive, exhausted, aggressive, etc.? What are the essential, core characteristics and mechanisms of its weak (and certainly strong) sides? Why and why should he undergo additional examinations by other specialists? Finally, why and why is it necessary for a child (with the indispensable participation and help of the adult environment) to engage in the proposed correctional (preventive or habilitation) program? If, at an appointment with a specialist, convincing answers to these questions are received and a new image of the problem situation arises, a different perspective (retrospective and prospective)- This means that what the child needs today has been found.

Psychological disadaptation 1 (not to be confused with disadaptation!) of children has indeed become not the most joyful, but a very characteristic sign of our time. Oddities of behavior, inability to communicate, learning difficulties, and finally, obvious delays or distortions in the development of various mental functions - discussion of these problems has long ceased to be the prerogative of specialists. General competence in the field of psychology, in particular mental development (along with politics and art), has become a sign of erudition and good form.

Terms such as “attention deficit and hyperactivity”, “delayed psychomotor and speech development”, “dysgraphia and dyslexia”, “emotional inadequacy”, and other diagnoses have firmly entered the everyday vocabulary. It sounds something like this: “So he’s left-handed?!” Then everything is clear.” But all these concepts are a statement of fact, and not an explanatory model. But they are often used precisely as a comprehensive explanation. For example, a child cannot adapt to school rules, jumps up in class, is constantly distracted, etc. This is explained by the fact that he has “attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.” With left-handers in general, as you know, “everything is clear.” What, exactly, is clear? The above is only the visible part of the iceberg that forms the phenomenon of “deviant development”. It, like any other phenomenon of human existence, has a complex structure of intertwined, intimately interacting negative and positive sides. That's why everything is much more complicated and at the same time- less fatal than the information contained in any special diagnosis or highly professional statement.

The preparation of this book was largely determined by bewilderment at such a familiar (and at the same time full of anxious expectations) treatment of the extremely complex, dynamic and multifaceted picture that is the “mental development of the child.” There are no and cannot be unambiguous, once and for all answers and solutions. There is a long, painstaking, sometimes winding path to the truth, requiring repeated returns to seemingly long-ago points and patience in overcoming the most “foggy” areas.

For centuries, heated discussions have been and will continue to be held about the laws of mental development in general. Representatives of various scientific disciplines offer their interpretations, approaches and hypotheses regarding phenomena, mechanisms and stages of ontogenesis (Greek ontos - existing, genete - origin, genus; that is, the history of the development of an individual) person. And what goes beyond the “norm of reaction”, that is, the generally normative, standard (be it the child’s outstanding abilities or, on the contrary, negative developmental deviations), all the more becomes a point of intersection, and sometimes a collision, of many diverse and multidirectional professional points vision.

As you know, thought is material, and this is not a metaphor. The thoughts we express, regardless of whether they are spoken out loud or to ourselves, have a “tendency” to take on very unambiguous, imperative guidance of our behavior. Unbeknownst to ourselves, we begin to live and act exactly as we just told ourselves. In psychology, this is defined as a “self-fulfilling expectation.” The great scientist G.G. Gadamer, one of the founders of hermeneutics - the science of understanding meaning, said: “The question behind the statement is the only thing that gives it meaning... To say something is to give an answer.” In the context of this discussion, this brilliant idea is very relevant.

Imagine a huge branchy tree. Now forget that you know what a “tree” is.

If you look at “it” from above from a great height (for example, from an airplane), you will only see a large mass of something green (“the facade”). You may be able to see differences in shape or color. And that’s all: after all, you can only see the crown. Neither branches, nor individual leaves, much less the trunk, are visible from above.

If you look at “it” from below, it turns out that “it” grows from the ground, branches diverge from the trunk in different directions, each of which gives rise to many smaller ones, on them... etc. In other words, we will see a holistic image of heterogeneous, but clearly interconnected parts.

Especially often, “self-fulfilling expectations” are confirmed when the diagnosis is repeated day after day and repeated by the child’s immediate environment, hypnotized by its sound. Without realizing it or wanting to, adults predetermine their behavior and attitude towards the child. Naturally, the consequence is the child’s response to the “expectations” of adults.

The most striking examples here are children who speak poorly. Repeating the child’s “diagnosis” every day (paradoxically, it also serves as an excuse), parents involuntarily, without wanting to and without realizing it, begin to talk to him less and, naturally, do not expect anything from him except isolated gestures or babble. It is clear that in such a situation the child’s speech (not demanded from the outside) does not strive for its external expression - after all, he was already understood, he got what he wanted. Why then even try to say something?

Similarly - with complaints of awkwardness, reluctance to draw, aggressiveness, etc. The most frequent remarks from parents: “We were told that he has a delay in psychomotor development (neurosis, hypertension syndrome, etc.). All his life, almost from birth, they massaged him, gave him medications, but the problems still remain. Why am I going to torment him?! What kind of upbringing are you talking about?! After all, he begins to cry, or even completely falls into aggression. It’s easier for me to do everything myself.”

Experience shows that in the attitude of adults to a child’s problems there are almost always at least three purely logical errors .

First - diagnosis(any, even the most unfavorable) not a sentence that cannot be appealed. This is, firstly, a statement of the presence of a particular deficiency in a child, the causes and mechanisms of which must be identified and comprehensively analyzed, and secondly, a guide to actively counteract the influence of this deficiency on the actual development and entire subsequent fate of the child.

Therefore, there is no point in thinking about it (the diagnosis), crying and repeating its wording every hour, like “Our Father.” It would be wiser and more efficient to spend this time looking for specialists who will advise and help find a way out of this situation. That is, they will be able to answer questions about the root causes and consequences of the existing deficiency and, accordingly, select a corrective, preventive or developmental program that is suitable specifically for this type of development.

The basic commandments (they are also repeatedly confirmed truths) are obvious. We will never fully help a child if we do not see the whole picture of his type of development. Of course, this is an ideal, but it is necessary to strive for it, especially since modern research methods provide ever greater prospects on this path. On the other side, There is no such pathological or prepathological condition in which the child would not be given a certain potential for development by nature. Yes, it is very different for different children, but you need to use it fully, without stopping at what has been achieved, which immediately satisfies you.

It is you who are satisfied, not the child's development program. Today you all have a good time. Unless, of course, you don’t take into account everything that you close your eyes to or see, but drive away bad feelings from yourself. But he will have to grow up further; he will be faced with more and more new tasks of adapting to this world.

Second mistake lies in a “pseudo-democratic” attitude towards the child’s wishes. First of all, in the confidence that the word “should” is relevant for him. Not at all! For any child, especially those demonstrating special needs and developmental deviations, only the verb “I want” is available and dominant. He shouldn't speak learn to use the toilet, read, etc. In any case, until he can feel comfortable enough without all this hassle. He must want to talk and much more to do.

And this desire can appear in him only in response to demands, requests from adults and elementary copying of their behavior (movements, speech, actions, scandals, etc.). Mowgli children, as we know, continued to walk on all fours until the age when people found them; they imitated and learned from those around them.

Remember how often, as adults, we remember with gratitude those who, “because I don’t want to,” stubbornly continued to take us to the pool, museums, music, dance, and English classes; look for answers to your questions in classical literature and heavy dictionaries, and not be satisfied with the point of view of class friends and action heroes.

Third mistake is that In the process of communicating with a child, the amplitude of the pendulum of parental love becomes completely unjustified: from demands on him as an adult to treating him like a baby. This is especially evident in cases of “two-three powers” (mom, dad, grandmother, teacher, etc.). Meanwhile, this pendulum must swing at certain median values, which must be strictly correlated with the age and character of the child. The boundaries of “yes”, “no” and “choose yourself” should be unshakable, and all discussions between adults should not in any way affect the overall strategy of relationships with the child.

Otherwise, chaos will form in his poor head, in his “picture of the world” and himself in this world, which he cannot cope with. After all, our reasons and motivations, the reasons why demands from the outside are changing so rapidly, are absolutely not obvious to him, moreover, they are incomprehensible and inexplicable. For the time being he sees himself only in the mirror of our relationship to him: hugs and kisses, claims and punishments, encouragement and delight.

They are truly amazing and extraordinary. They ask scientists riddles and are not very willing to reveal their secrets. Therefore, they deserve to become heroes of psychological literature again and again. I think it is useful for both professionals and parents to take a closer look and discuss their problems again in order to think again: What is behind such a familiar and so incomprehensible word “left-handed”?

Sometimes it seems that the right solution has finally been found, but new facts appear, new phenomena are discovered, and we have to once again rethink the entire body of information received. Build new hypotheses, test them experimentally, confirming and sometimes refuting your own guesses. And in the end - to come to the same optimistic conclusion that the world-famous sleep researcher M. Jouvet came to: “We still don’t know anything about the nature of sleep, we just don’t know at a higher scientific level.”

They are truly amazing and extraordinary. They ask scientists riddles and are not very willing to reveal their secrets. Therefore, they deserve to become heroes of psychological literature again and again. It seems that it is useful for professionals and for parents to again carefully consider and discuss their problems in order to think further: what is behind such a familiar and such an incomprehensible word “left-handed”

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These incredible lefties

implementation plan Information part Left-handed inhabitants of a right-handed world At the origins of left-handedness Portrait of a left-handed child in an educational interior Non-childish problems of left-handed children

LEFT-HANDED RESIDENTS OF A RIGHT-HANDED WORLD The concepts of “left-handedness” and “left-handedness” are not synonymous (at least in neuropsychology). Left-handedness is a manifestation of a stable, unchanging psychophysiological characteristic, a specific type of functional organization of the nervous system (primarily the brain) of a person, which has fundamental differences from right-handers. In other words, left-handedness is not just a preference for the left hand, but also a completely different distribution of functions between the hemispheres of the brain. Left-handedness is a term that reflects the preference, active use of the left hand, i.e. an external manifestation of the fact that for some reason the right hemisphere of the brain has taken over assumes (temporarily or permanently) the main leading role in ensuring voluntary human movements. Left-handedness does not depend on the child’s “will” or his stubbornness, but on the special organization of brain activity and the uniqueness of mental functions.

Strongly left-handed - perform all actions with the left hand Slightly left-handed - perform some actions with the right hand, giving preference to the left Ambidextrous - perform actions with both the right and left hands without preference Slightly right-handed - perform some actions with the left hand, giving preference to the right Strongly right-handed - perform all actions with the right hand It should be remembered that left-handers and right-handers are not homogeneous groups. Among them one can observe different degrees of severity of right-handedness and left-handedness, as well as ambidexterity (two-handedness).

Number of left-handed people in the world by sex

Left-handedness does not disappear anywhere, it’s just that the right-handed world makes its own adjustments, forcing left-handed people to adapt, to become like “everyone else.” Modern psychologists, teachers, neurologists, and pediatricians are convinced that forced relearning has a detrimental effect on the health and development of left-handed children. About 42% of parents initiate the retraining of their children, motivating their actions as follows: I want my child to be no different from other children I don’t want other children to tease him and laugh at him If the child remains left-handed, then he will have limitations in his choice profession It is necessary to train the right hand, then my child will have skill in both hands

In psychological and pedagogical sources, slightly left-handed people are often called overtrained or hidden left-handers. But the concepts of “overtrained” and “hidden” are not identical. A left-hander who performs only socially controlled actions with his right hand - eats, drinks, writes, draws - can be called overtrained. All other actions still remain under the control of the left hand. Children who have been subjected to early retraining in the family may often not remember this, since the consciousness simply blocks and displaces this fact from the life of a left-hander. The term “hidden left-hander” has a different meaning: this is a person who does almost everything with his right hand, but performs some movements with his left, which he himself does not notice (i.e., according to the above classification, a “slightly right-handed” person).

2. At the origins of left-handedness Modern scientists are inclined to the heterogeneous (heterogeneous) essence of left-handedness and highlight its different origins: Hereditary (genetically fixed); Pathological (compensatory) Forced Compensatory left-handedness can be a consequence of: Birth stress (low birth weight of the newborn, rapid or prolonged labor, asphyxia of the newborn ...... birth trauma, etc.) Pathology of pregnancy Severe diseases and injuries of the child in infancy Special mention should be made of such a phenomenon as “non-violent relearning”: as a result of imitation of right-handed adults (for example, parents), a left-handed child also begins to actively use his right hand.

Hereditary left-handedness (in%)

3. Portrait of a left-handed child in an educational interior For a comparative study of the intellectual development of left-handers and right-handers, the Wechsler test was repeatedly used to determine the level of verbal and visual-figurative thinking. In terms of verbal indicators, left-handers are not inferior to their right-handed peers, but their level of development of visual-spatial functions turned out to be significantly lower. Psychology and pedagogy have evidence that left-handers have lower development rates of only some mental functions than right-handers. Thus, left-handed people may understand and analyze situations worse, may have a slightly reduced vocabulary, and master reading and writing skills worse, but they often have high mathematical abilities. The dominance of the right hemisphere determines the tendency to creativity, as well as specifically the imaginative nature of cognitive processes. When comprehending something new, left-handed people are more focused on sensory sensations (visual, tactile, etc.), so they need support from a drawing, a natural object, or some other auxiliary means. To remember new information, “right-hemisphere” children rely on their visual and tactile sensations. They need to touch and examine everything. The speech of left-handed children is emotional, rich in intonations and gestures.

Another feature of left-handers is that they perceive worse those objects that are located to their left, and this is not associated with visual impairment. That is why, when showing a picture book to a child, you need to place it a little to the right of the baby. Left-handed preschoolers are usually more vulnerable, emotional, mobile, and less accustomed to changes in environment. Left-handed children are quite open to others, naive, spontaneous in expressing feelings, and suggestible. They often act based on the moment's mood, they are easily upset and they can just as easily cry or become angry. And hence their susceptibility to the emergence of neuroses. Left-handed children sense the color and shape of an object much more subtly, see differences between objects, and even when right-handed children consider them absolutely the same, that is, they individualize the world around them more. Russian scientists conducted a study of the emotional sphere through the perception of smells. During the experiment, attention was drawn to the differences between double-handed, left-handed and ambidextrous people in the ability to differentiate between pleasant, unpleasant and neutral odors. Left-handed people and ambidextrous people assessed unpleasant odors most accurately. Based on the results of the study, the following conclusion was made: right-handed people show greater sensitivity to positive emotions, while left-handed people and ambidextrous people are characterized by a predominance of negative emotions, that is, they are more pessimistic. For left-handers, it is usually difficult to work in large groups under strictly regulated conditions and strict subordination. Their element is individual work, in which they can show their own initiative and intuition.

4. Non-childhood problems of left-handed children The most successful in all aspects of life are hereditary left-handed people who have genetic left-handedness, which is not associated with disorders of brain activity. When learning, they usually do not have acute problems and show good results in writing, reading, mathematics and other subjects. A study of left-handers who have difficulties in learning and mastering writing showed that these are mainly children with a pathological origin of left-handedness. One of the main problems of left-handedness is forced relearning. Retraining by parents at the everyday level is a latent action when people close to the child methodically place an object in the child’s right hand, or following the behavior of adults, the child himself copies their movements. In pedagogy, it is a known fact that children do many things not because it is convenient for them, but in order to be loved and praised by adults.

According to the observations of Professor A.P. Chuprikov, neuroses are more common in left-handed children than in right-handed peers. They cite interesting facts: clinical forms of neuroses among left-handed people were diagnosed in 32% of cases. In children who were not subjected to retraining - only in 12% of cases. He convincingly proved that the “relearning factor” (“dextra-stress” - stress of the right-handed environment) is essentially a highly specific psychogenic factor for the occurrence of neuroses in left-handed children. Overlearning is risky because it disrupts the balance between the hemispheres of the brain. As a result of the failures experienced, the child is unsure of his abilities, anxious, dissatisfied, and depressed. In the presence of acute mental trauma (stress), a similar condition leads to neuroses.

Psychologists have identified the main indicators that indicate that a child is in a state of stress: A persistent feeling of loneliness - believes that his parents do not love him and do not pay attention to him; Lack of self-confidence – often says “I won’t be able to do this”; Problems concentrating and remembering; Reluctance to communicate with friends; Fatigue and sleep disturbance; Mood swings, tearfulness; Anxiety; Poor appetite; Fear of silence

Here are some of the most common manifestations of neurotic symptoms in left-handers: Headaches and abdominal pain; Sleep and appetite disturbances; Lethargy, lethargy; Irritability, increased excitability; Inappropriate reactions; Phobias, fears; Logoneurosis (stuttering); Daytime and nocturnal enuresis; Tics, obsessive movements; Increased sensitivity to odors; Deterioration of vision; Increased allergic reactions Writer's cramp (painful spasm of the forearm muscles when writing)

Asthenic neurosis is most common among left-handed children. The main symptoms of which can be considered increased fatigue, a sharp decrease in performance, rapid exhaustion, lethargy, and apathy. Children often complain of fatigue, headaches, lack of appetite, and restless sleep. Another type of neurosis that causes anxiety among parents is neurotic stuttering. In retrained left-handers, speech cramps intensify after intense writing work with the right hand. Obsessive-compulsive disorder is no less common. Children experience their failures repeatedly and for a long time. Closedness, mistrust, tension, and lack of contact arise. Excited by emotional stress, the right hemisphere generates fears and anxieties that cannot be rationally “understood” by the left. Together, these two extreme modes of operation of the hemispheres form the structure of obsessions. If in children with neuroses the activity of the right hemisphere predominates, then hysterical manifestations are possible - hysterical neuroses. They manifest themselves in the form of psychomotor seizures: refusal to go to kindergarten, falling backwards crying loudly, vomiting and hysterical blindness (sharp decrease in visual acuity)

If neurotic manifestations are detected in a left-handed child, one should not defer to a pediatric psychoneurologist or neurologist. Special studies have shown that left-handed children have some adaptation features. It is difficult for them to get used to a new environment due to increased emotionality and impressionability. A good understanding of social norms, responsibility, and conscientiousness are combined in left-handed children (term by A.V. Semenovich) with a high level of anxiety, uncertainty and slow down adaptation, and sometimes make it painful. Most left-handed people find it easier to recognize verbal (verbal) stimuli than non-verbal (schemes, models), because Children confuse right and left sides, top and bottom. They perform better verbal tasks than visual-spatial ones.

A left-handed child draws. Such children exhibit mirror drawing. This is especially clearly seen when copying figures (the figures change places: right to left and vice versa), and the child does not feel the wrongness. This property is a consequence of the child’s failure to master the basic principles of organization and space. A left-handed child reads. The most common mistakes when mastering reading are rearranging letters (instead of he - but, etc.), mirror reading of letters, replacing letters with similar configurations, and “jumping” over a line. Left-handed children may have their own preference for reading direction. Sometimes children read the text from the end, the word - syllables. At the same time, the inversion of words does not prevent them from understanding the meaning of the text.

A left-handed child writes Left-handed children may experience a whole range of writing difficulties: pronounced handwriting impairments, tremors, incorrect letter shapes, optical substitutions (t-p, l-m), distortion of the configuration and relationship of letter elements, mirror writing. A left-handed child speaks The famous scientist E. Peters writes that there are two types of speech development in children: analytical and gestalt (“gestalt” - image, form). Children with an analytical type of development move from individual words to phrases, and then to the grammatical design of statements. Children with a figurative type of speech development, and these are mostly left-handed, ambidextrous and a small number of right-handers, immediately construct an undivided text, that is, a sentence that represents an inarticulate speech stream with good intonation and melody. Then, individual words mastered by the child begin to be distinguished in the stream.

Left-handed child counts Left-handed children write mirror images not only of letters but also of numbers (6*6= 63, not 36). They change the direction of counting operations ((5+1)+9) they may get the answer 3, not 15. A left-handed child perceives and understands instructions When explaining something to a child, it is preferable to use only unambiguous affirmative statements, not allowing options: “Do this It’s impossible, but it’s possible.” This type of instructions is extremely difficult for left-handed people (as well as ambidextrous people) to understand. They memorize both formulas, and each time they are forced to decide which one is correct. Children remember both what we want to teach them and what we forbid them. When teaching a baby, it’s safer to say! See and do this. Only unambiguity in teaching will make it easier for the child to understand the requirements. Each of the problems faced by left-handed children requires special attention and various correction measures. It is important to focus the program and teaching methods on a specific child in order to maximize his potential and rely on his characteristic type of thinking.