Dd did something weird today...

[MishMooshAndMogwai]

She wrote her name perfectly mirrored. Upside down and back to front as easily and neatly as she would have done when writing it normally.

She is 4

Not quite sure what to make of that!

[HeiressesGiltnor]

More normal than you'd think!

I'm a primary school teacher and I quite often see it.

I'd be keeping an eye out for possibly dyslexic tendencies but as an occasional thing it wouldn't concern me.

I do find it odd when I see it though, it's always so perfect!

[MishMooshAndMogwai]

Phew! That's put my mind at rest a bit, thankyou!

How bizzare!

[Ferguson]

Yes, it is something some young children can do! My 'theory' is that they just see the word as 'shapes' and its orientation is of little concern to them. Just as for us, a square or circle would still be a square or circle whichever way up it was.

[caravanista13]

Children do this remarkably frequently - goodness knows how!

[takingstock]

My DD did this and it was quite freaky at the time. Now 18, she has exceptional spatial awareness. Maybe there's a link.

[Itscurtainsforyou]

My LO does this too - phew!

[reallybadday]

I used to write like this when tired. I once opened notes to revise for an exam and 2 full pages were in mirror writing. I'm left handed so don't know if that has anything to do with it?

[NaughtToThreeSadOnions]

It's very common actually.

Just as an aside da Vinci wrote most of his notes in perfect mirror writing!

[reallybadday]

Ooh, maybe I'm a Renaissance girl!!

[RitaKiaOra]

Mine did this for ages. Also left-handed. Tis sinister. See what I did there?!

[Vatersay]

I'm left handed and still do this when tired.

I can read inside down and mirror image words as easily as normal text too

[MishMooshAndMogwai]

I had a quick Google and apparently its to do with the left hemisphere of the brain. It's rather common in brain damaged adults if the appropriate side has been damaged. (Not meaning to call you all brain damaged, I think it means suddenly developing the ability to do it without noticing as an adult after an accident!)

It's not something ive come across before, im intrigued!

[reallybadday]

That might explain a few things

[blondegirl73]

My son is left handed and also used to do this. He also wrote upside down and in mirror writing. He doesn't often write like that any more (he's 5) but we have letters on the fridge and he makes words with them in every direction.

[brighthouse]

My DD did this to I thought it was because she was left handed.

[JiltedJohnsJulie]

My DMIl is a leftie and can write just as neatly mirrored as normal handwriting. I'm ambi and can do what your Dd did, more likely to happen when I'm tired though.

[NurNochKurzDieWeltRetten]

I thought all kids did this all mine have (they're all right handed) and when I was surprised that Dc1 did it the people I mentioned it to with older kids said all kids do it...

They also write letters just anywhere on the page and don't see any reason to write in a linear way left to right. Both things happen early on in learning to write, when they see letters as pictures/ shapes I think.

My DC3 does both sometimes and nobody has taught him to write as he's 2 years off school age where we live. He likes letters and sounding words out and writing down their letters though and he writes the letters recognisably, but when writing words places reasonably logical letter combinations randomly around the page and sometimes writes them mirrored.

[plummyjam]

I did a developmental assessment on a 5 year old once and asked him to write his name. I couldn't understand

[plummyjam]

sorry posted too soon

I couldn't understand what he'd written at first until I realised he'd written his name upside down. I was sitting opposite him so he wanted me to be able to read it.

[Totallypearshaped]

Oh bless plummy! How Sweet.

I read maps upside down and back to front.