Q. In an attempt to force him to become right-handed, my husband’s left hand was tied behind his back using a stout string that was attached to his belt. He does everything right-handed and hardly uses his left hand at all. Unfortunately, he continues to stutter and seems to become anxious easily. Do you have any comments?

A. Yes, but I am not sure they are printable! I can only imagine the physical, emotional, and intellectual pain your husband has experienced all these years. And for what? Because some unenlightened caregivers insisted that the boy over-rides natural preference and exhibit right-handed behaviors. My suggestion is that he starts to reown his innate preference for left-handedness immediately. He will need to build skills using his left hand. This will take some time and energy (since his competencies are currently developed for right-handedness). However, it has been my observation that when an innate left-hander begins to reown his/her left-handedness, skills build quickly and the relief to the brain can be immense.

In general, the left side of the brain controls muscle groups on the right side of the body because of the great nerve tracks that cross over in the brain stem. In terms of handedness this means that the left hemisphere directs the right hand and the right hemisphere directs the left hand. The brain is likely wired for handedness at birth, with the majority of individuals exhibiting a right-handed preference. There are definitely innate left-handers, however, and a subset of the population that are clearly ambidextrous.

What happens when a brain that is wired to direct a left hand as dominant is forced to switch and direct the right hand to become dominant? The right hemisphere is wired to give instructions to a dominant left hand. But when the instructions cross the corpus callosum to direct actions of the left hand, and the left hand is not permitted to function as the dominant hand, the instructions now must go through a form of translation—and something is always lost in translation! Now they must retrace their steps across the corpus callosum to direct action in the right hand. No wonder human beings can develop a variety of symptomatic behaviors (e.g., stuttering, anxiety, lowered self-worth) related to the increased time and energy this switching process requires, and the decreased proficiency that can result. This applies to both genders although symptoms may be more problematic in males since the male brain is more lateralized (compared to a more generalized female brain). Consequently, the negative consequences of having been forced to switch handedness may be significantly higher in males. With current brain-function information more available than ever to the general public, my hope is that forcing human beings to switch handedness will be relegated to the dark ages.