Handedness in Patients With Developmental Coordination Disorder

Abstract

Developmental coordination disorder affects 5% to 8% of the general population, and about 50% to 60% of these children have a comorbid attention-deficit disorder with hyperactivity and learning disorders. Left-handedness is relatively common among children with dyslexia, learning disabilities, and autism; however, its frequency in children with developmental coordination disorder is less clear. The present study investigated the distribution of hand dominance in 98 children (age range, 5.5-17 years) with developmental coordination disorder compared with their parents or siblings. Thirty children (30.6%) were left-handed and 13 (13.3%) were ambidextrous. The prevalence of left-handedness among their parents and siblings was similar to that of the general population. The results suggest that children with developmental coordination disorder, like children with learning disorders and deficit disorder with hyperactivity, present with higher frequency of left-hand dominance compared with the general population.