- Handwriting is one of the biggest sources of disadvantage for left-handed people, other than for those forced to work with certain machinery.
- Western writing runs from left to right. A left-handed person has to ‘crab’ their hand in order to write without smudging the ink.
- Left-handed children learning to write often write back to front (‘mirror’ writing). This is a natural inclination, not a sign of dyslexia, and will resolve given time, practice and encouragement.
- Implements such as scissors are designed for use with the right hand and tools such as circular saws can be dangerous if operated with the left rather than the right hand.
Knives
While European-style kitchen knives are usually symmetrical, Japanese kitchen knives have the cutting edge ground asymmetrically. Left-handed models are rare, and usually must be specially ordered or custom made.
- Some research has suggested that learning difficulties, epilepsy and autism are more common in left-handed people.
- However, other researchers have been unable to confirm these findings and current knowledge suggests that handedness is not associated with learning disabilities.