Jan. 27, 2010 Children who are mixed-handed, or ambidextrous,
are more likely to have mental health, language and scholastic
problems in childhood than right- or left-handed children,
according to a new study published in the journal Pediatrics.
The researchers behind the study, from Imperial College London
and other European institutions, suggest that their findings may
help teachers and health professionals to identify children who
are particularly at risk of developing certain problems. Around
one in every 100 people is mixed-handed. The study looked at
nearly 8,000 children, 87 of whom were mixed-handed, and found
that mixed-handed 7 and 8-year old children were twice as likely
as their right-handed peers to have difficulties with language
and to perform poorly in school. When they reached 15 or 16,
mixed-handed adolescents were also at twice the risk of having
symptoms of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
They were also likely to have more severe symptoms of ADHD than
their right-handed co