Why can't my left-handed child copy from the blackboard?

Q: My son is 6 years old and is left-handed. While building blocks according to a pre-defined picture, he copies it to perfection but in lateral inversion. He does not have a problem with lateral inversion of letters and numbers, however, he finds it very difficult to copy from the blackboard to paper. The spacing of words and letters on his note book are mixed. Could these be signs of some problem?

A:Some children are left-handed, but are forced to become right-handed. This forcing sometimes leads to the child having speech problems. It is better to let his natural inclination prevail. But I agree with you that its a right-handed world! Desks and books are designed for people who are right handed. But your son will make the adjustments as he grows up. If he could copy a pattern to perfection (even though laterally inverted) he seems very talented. Just tell the teachers that he has problems with copying from the board. Surely they will have some methods of coping with diversity in children's functioning.