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Original poster

Mixed eye and hand dominance - is it a problem?

30 replies

Vale · 24/05/2009 09:12

Hi,

I have read in a old book that mixed dominance does have an effect on the person's ability to learn. Apparently your foot, eye, and ear should be dominant on the same side as your dominant hand.

I have tested my 3 years old son and I discovered that he has eye and hand mixed dominance.

(I must say that my son seems very, very clever to me and he is bilingual at the age of 3).

The good news is that the eye dominance can be shifted back to the proper eye by occluding (covering or patching) the eye that is dominant for half an hour a day and it is best if it is done as early as possible to prevent problems.

Did anyone come accross this issue before, and have you got suggestions on how to switch the eye dominace?

Is it important the lenght of the exercise sessions? I must do half an hour a day or can I do 10 minutes sessions 3 times a day?

Thanks,
Vale

OP posts:
Original poster
Vale · 24/05/2009 09:17

The eye dominance can be shifted back to the proper eye by occluding (covering or patching) the eye that is dominant for half an hour a day, while the child is engaged in task that requires using is dominant hand such as drawring, colouring etc...

The problem is that my 3 years old enjoys this activities for 10 minutes and then gets bored.

OP posts:
bruffin · 24/05/2009 10:14

Sorry that all sounds a bit nonsense. I only found I was left eye dominant when I did archery. The bow you use is selected by your dominant eye and I never had any problems with learning.
Both DH and DS are dyslexic and are right handed/right eye (again we only know because of archery)

Do you have any worries about your son's development? Interestingly I was bilingual at 3 as well, although I am not now.

bruffin · 24/05/2009 10:31

I have just had a quick google on ocular dominance and learning difficulties and it appears there may be a problem with reading if ocular dominance is unstable rather mixed.

Original poster
Vale · 24/05/2009 10:44

Hi Bruffin,

I am a bit confuse too.

It is an interesting coincidence that you were bilingual and mixed dominance too maybe there is a link, you never know.

Testing for eye dominance is easy! You ask your child to watch through a tube or a keyhole, or you put a peace of paper with a hole in front of your face and ask the child to find your nose. The child will watch with the dominant eyes.

I send you a link of an article I 've found on the internet: www.katherinebell.com/HS%20Mixed%20Dominance.htm

OP posts:
Original poster
Vale · 24/05/2009 10:47

Thank, so if that is true, me trying to correct his dominace may cause him to have an unstable dominance and I will cause him problems.

OP posts:
hanaflower · 24/05/2009 10:47

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster
Vale · 24/05/2009 11:05

Hi HanaFlower, thanks that's reassuring!

OP posts:
smudgethepuppydog · 24/05/2009 11:47

My DS is left eyed and right handed, it has caused him some problems over the years with fine motor skills but it hasn't affected his intellegence. He's off to Uni soon to study either Ecology or Zoology.

smudgethepuppydog · 24/05/2009 11:52

Actually I'd like to retract his 'handedness'. When asked whether he wrote with left or right handed when being tested for dyspraxia he held up his left hand. He actually writes right handed but does favour his left for most things. I think that if school had left him to his own devices when he was still establishing his handedness he would've eventually opted for left but tehy kept swapping his pencil/scissors/cutlery to his right hand.

LeonieSoSleepy · 24/05/2009 13:04

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

Original poster
Vale · 24/05/2009 20:07

Thank you so much to all of you that's really reassuring!

Certainly I need to do more reseach before thinking of remedy it, hopefully he is perfectly fine!

OP posts:
CMOTdibbler · 24/05/2009 20:10

I'm mixed dominance, and I have a post graduate degree etc.

'Correcting' his eye dominance sounds like the old thing of forcing children to be right handed to me - not a great idea

Original poster
Vale · 24/05/2009 20:24

Thank you!

OP posts:
cornsilk · 24/05/2009 20:28

It's one of the tests on the Aston Index which is an old and mostly out of date test. I have it (tested myself years ago when administering the Aston) and I have no learning difficulties.

MadMazza · 24/05/2009 20:37

My son (aged 7) is left handed but right footed (leads with right foot going up stairs, kicks football predominantly with right foot) Strange thing is that in cricket he bowls with his left hand but bats with his right hand. Isn't it fascinating all this lh/rh stuff? What eye is likely to be his dominant one do you think? Will test him tomorrow! He is very bright, artistic, musical and a fabulous dancer btw (and I am VERY proud of him! - bet you can't tell!!!)

chipmonkey · 24/05/2009 21:52

Vale, I am a behavioural optometrist and I really wouldn't worry about this at all and I wouldn't try to change his eye dominance if I were you.

See this link to this book here which suggests that there really isn't a link between letter reversals and mixed dominance.

Certainly when he is older, if it turns out that he does have some issues with reading, there is vision therapy available, but attempting to change eye dominance would not be something we would normally try to do.

chipmonkey · 24/05/2009 21:53

BTW, some of the best golfers and sportsmen have mixed dominance!

Ronaldinhio · 24/05/2009 21:56

I'm mixed dominance and was a commonwealth games sportsperson and Camb grad

I'm posting this as fact not boast

(I also have nice eyes!! that's a boast)

chipmonkey · 24/05/2009 22:08

There, see!Ronaldhinho just proved my point!

mimsum · 24/05/2009 23:40

dd is very strongly left-handed (we were in no doubt about it well before she was 1) and equally strongly right-footed - no idea about her eye dominance!

So far it's caused her no problems at all - she's academically advanced (reading, writing and maths all excellent), very artistic, very sporty - I'm struggling to see a downside with mixed dominance!

Original poster
Vale · 25/05/2009 16:57

According to the old book that I read (1985) the mixed dominance causes problems only when eye and hand dominance do not correspond, like my son for instance that is right handed and left eyed. The ?old? book recommends switching the dominance as early as possible to prevent problems.

But that would be a bit of a torture for a 3 years old and furthermore I might cause him other or wrost issues by attempting to switch his eye dominance.

So I was really hoping that the info I read was out of date!

It is a very good news to hear that it was one of the test for screening and diagnosing language difficulties, and now it is considered out of date and luckily my son has never had language difficulties, although he is bilingual, (because I am Italian and his dad is English).

Also it is a great news to hear that a lots of people have mixed eye-hand dominance and it didn't cause them any problems.

OP posts:
MrsMcCluskey · 25/05/2009 17:05

DS2 is left handed and right eye dominant.
It is causing him some problems at the moment with his hand writing and knowing where to place his letters on the page.
I am concerned that he may be dyslexic, but school have told me he is too young to assess..he's 6.

MrsMcCluskey · 25/05/2009 17:06

Nice to read that it wont stop him.
Ronadinho - very impressive!

Original poster
Vale · 25/05/2009 17:19

MrsMcCluskey, the good news according to this book is that eye dominance can be shifted back to the proper eye by patching the eye that is dominant for half an hour a day, while the child is engaged in tasks that requires concentration while using his dominant hand such as drawring, colouring etc...

The older the person the longer it takes, but it can be done.

OP posts:
EvenBetaDad · 25/05/2009 17:28

I am left handed and right footed but not sure about eyes and ears. My Dad is the same as me as is DS2.

My Dad had difficulty at school, is dyslexic and left school at 15. I did not have any difficulty at all in academic life but have difficulty spelling and finding my way and get lost often. DS2 is well ahead of his class in everything except hand writing because he has to translate everything he sees the teacher do from right handed to his left handed view.

Not sure that there is much evidence it affects learning in our family but I have heard it is often linked to creativity - which DS2 is but my Dad is not.

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