Development Of Hand Preference Research Articles

Association of the Emergence of Hand Preference and Child Development in Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract Background: Hand preference reflects the cerebral dominance associated with language, cognition, and manual skills development. Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) show less hand dominance as compared to typically developing children. This study aims to investigate the relationship between the development of hand preference and its association with developmental skills in children with ASD. Objective: The study aims to analyze the relationship between the emergence of hand preference and the primary developmental domains of children with ASD. Study Design: This was a cross-sectional study. Methods: A convenient sampling method was used for the sample selection. The study recruited children diagnosed with ASD between 3 and 6 years old. The study was conducted in a clinical setting at Dexterity Occupational Therapy Services, Bangalore. The children selected based on criteria were evaluated with the Indian Scale for Assessment of Autism (ISAA) for severity, the modified Edinburgh Handedness Inventory to assess hand preference, and the Developmental Assessment of Young Children-Second Edition (DAYC-2) to evaluate the primary developmental domains. Scores on DAYC-2 were correlated with the scores of the modified Edinburgh Handedness Inventory. Results: Fifty-four children were recruited, including 43 boys and 11 girls. The mean age of the children included in the study was 52.09 ± 9.08 months. ISAA scores revealed 25 children belong to mild, 26 belong to moderate, and 3 belong to the severe category of autism. The scores of the modified Edinburgh Handedness Inventory are significantly correlated with expressive (P = 0.029; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.029–0.521), receptive (P = 0.007; 95% CI: 0.100–0.571), socioemotional (P = 0.009; 95% CI: 0.088–0.563), adaptive behavior (P = 0.008; 95% CI: 0.094–0.567), and fine motor (P = 0.001; 95% CI: 0.174–0.620) domains of DAYC-2 with weightage to the age. Conclusion: This study concluded that the emergence of hand preference in ASD children had a clear association with the developmental domains of DAYC-2, which indicates that targeted intervention to strengthen hand preference may facilitate the child’s development.

How Might the Relation of the Development of Hand Preferences to the Development of Cognitive Functions be Examined During Infancy: A Sketch?

Investigations of the relation of the development of hand preferences to the development of other sensorimotor and cognitive abilities are plagued by confusing and contradictory results. In part, the confusion derives from the failure to create accurate, appropriate, and reliable descriptions of the development of hand preferences and the cognitive or sensorimotor ability of interest. This paper sketches an ideal longitudinal study (from birth through 5 years) with a large sample size that should provide reliable evidence for the understanding of the relation of hand preferences to cognitive development. Since hand preference differences would affect the way infants engage in manual actions with objects and these differences would likely affect how they come to comprehend object relations, differences in the development of cognition across handedness groups would be a good test of certain forms of embodiment theory.

Manual asymmetries and hemispheric specialization: Insight from developmental studies

The objective of this review is to obtain a better understanding of the relationship between manual asymmetries and hemispheric specialization by focusing on the development of hand preference and cerebral lateralization of language. We first sought to describe the development of manual asymmetries for different activities (i.e., grasping and manipulating objects vs. communicating through gestures), and the development of cerebral asymmetries, before examining available data on the association between hand preference and HS for language. We also analyzed behavioral studies on the relation between hand preference and language development, as well as more specific studies on the relation between the cerebral control of gestures and language. Finally, we aimed at providing a wider view on functional asymmetries by emphasizing the need to study hemispheric specialization for functions other than language, and in particular for visual attention.

The development of hand preference and dichotic language lateralization in males and females with congenital adrenal hyperplasia

ABSTRACTPeople with congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) are exposed to elevated levels of androgens in utero due to overproduction by the adrenal cortex. In order to test whether high levels of prenatal androgens influence the development of handedness preferences and left-hemisphere language representation, we studied 39 patients with CAH (28 females, 11 males) and 25 unaffected sibling controls (17 females, 8 males). Hand preference for 15 unimanual activities was evaluated via questionnaire and pantomime, and a consonant–vowel dichotic listening test was administered. Contemporary theories disagree as to whether high testosterone is said to increase or decrease the probability of developing a typical right-hand preference. Results showed no significant differences on the handedness inventory. Relative to controls, however, patients with CAH showed a significantly larger right-ear advantage on the dichotic syllables task, indicating stronger left-hemisphere lateralization of language. These results support an emerging body of evidence suggesting that high testosterone may bias lateralized development toward the population norm, but run counter to the Geschwind–Behan–Galaburda model which associates high prenatal testosterone with a greater prevalence of left-handedness.

Hand preference in humans is associated with testosterone levels and androgen receptor gene polymorphism

Exposure of the central nervous system to androgens during the early developmental period has been proposed to play a role in the establishment of hand preference in males. Existing data, however, are inconclusive. In the present investigation, handedness was assessed in a large sample of left-, mixed-, and right-handed men (N=180) using a standardized handedness inventory. Saliva sampling was used to assay levels of bioavailable testosterone and DNA genotyping was carried out to quantify AR-CAG repeat length, a genetic marker of the capacity of the androgen receptor to respond to testosterone. Strongly left-handed males were found to have lower levels of bioavailable testosterone than right-handed males, while males with mixed handedness exhibited a weaker androgen receptor, but no significant difference from right-handers in circulating testosterone levels. These findings support the view that testosterone could play a role in the development of hand preference in males. Furthermore, because the AR gene lies on the X chromosome, it provides a potential theoretical bridge to genetic theories of handedness that postulate the existence of an X-linked locus important in the establishment of hand preference.

The development of hand preference in children: The effect of task demands and links with manual dexterity

Lateralisation of hand preference and manual dexterity are known to develop over childhood, while in adulthood strength of hand preference has been shown to interact with extrinsic task demands. Some evidence exists to suggest that strength of hand preference and motor skill may be related. In the current study a handedness inventory, midline crossing (QHP) and peg-moving tasks were used to investigate: (1) the development of hand preference between 4 and 11 years; (2) whether extrinsic task demands affect strength of hand preference, and (3) whether strength of hand preference was associated with manual dexterity. Younger children (4–5 years) showed weak hand preference in comparison to older children (8–11 years), and extrinsic task demands influenced willingness to cross the body’s midline with the preferred hand. Age and peg-moving speed were associated with midline crossing in certain task conditions. Overall, results suggest a coupling between manual dexterity and brain maturation in typical development.

Plasticity in the development of handedness: Evidence from normal development and early asymmetric brain injury

Previous research revealed that shifting patterns of hand preference in the first year of life are linked to infants' sensory-motor experiences as they learn to sit, creep, and walk. In this report, we examine whether new and different forms of locomotion and sensory-motor experiences similarly contribute to alter patterns of hand preference in early development. We examined the cases of three infants with unique developmental histories. Two infants adopted distinctive forms of locomotion in lieu of typical hands-and-knees crawling. One infant scooted using both hands and legs in a coupled fashion, while the other infant performed an asymmetrical, left-biased belly-crawl using only one arm to drag his body. The third infant suffered damage to his left-brain hemisphere shortly after birth and received intense physical therapy to his right arm as a result of it. We followed all three infants on a weekly basis and tracked changes in their reaching behavior, mode of locomotion, and postural achievements. The two infants with unique locomotor patterns displayed changes in hand preference that reciprocated the arm patterns that they used during locomotion. The infant who coupled his body for scooting began to reach bimanually, while the infant who adopted the left-biased belly-crawl developed a strong unimanual, right-hand, preference. The infant with left-hemisphere damage initially displayed a right-hand preference, then a temporary decline in preferred hand use as he began to cruise and walk, and ultimately resumed a right-hand preference in the 2nd year of life. This data is consistent with previous work showing that the development of hand preference in the 1st year of life is highly malleable and sensitive to a variety of new sensory-motor experiences.

Vocalisation and the development of hand preference

What do the relationships observed in the occurrence of various limb, facial, and speech apraxias following left hemisphere damage mean for Corballis's theory? What does the right hemisphere's role in nonpropositional and automatic speech production tell us about the coevolution of right hand preference and speech; how could the possibility that the right hemisphere may be “dominant” for some aspects of speech be accommodated by his theory?

Between-species variation in the development of hand preference among macaques

This research examined between-species variation in the development of hand preference among Macaca. Specifically, we examined hand preference using juveniles and adults of three macaque species that differ in social and reactive tendencies in order to examine whether the correlation between temperament and handedness that has been noted within Macaca mulatta occurs between closely related species. Each of the species studied exhibited a different pattern of hand preference development. Both juvenile and adult M. mulatta exhibited group-level left-hand bias. Juvenile Macaca nemestrina were not biased towards either hand at the group-level, whereas adults exhibited a group-level left-hand bias. Neither juvenile nor adult Macaca fascicularis exhibited manual bias at the group-level. Analysis of variance indicated statistically significant main effects of species and age class on hand preference measures. Post-hoc analysis indicated greater use of the left- versus right-hand, and greater hand preference strength independent of direction, among M. mulatta and M. nemestrina than among M. fascicularis, and among adults than among juveniles. These results indicate significant between-species variation in the development of hand preference within the genus Macaca, and are inconsistent with any one single-factor theory yet offered to explain the etiology of primate laterality. We hypothesize that the relationship between handedness and temperament that has been shown within M. mulatta may generalize across closely related primate species.

Development of hand preferences in marmosets (Callithrix jacchus) and effects of aging.

The authors investigated the development of unimanual hand use and hand preferences during feeding in 15 marmosets (Callithrix jacchus), ages birth to 51-70 months. Bimanual hand use was common at 1-2 months, but by 5-8 months unimanual holding had developed and so had significant hand preferences. Half of the marmosets preferred to pick up and take food to the mouth with the left hand, and half preferred the right hand. Individuals maintained the same hand preference at all ages examined. Significant relationships were also found between the postures adopted during feeding and the direction of hand preferences displayed by juvenile marmosets. There was a positive correlation between increased suspension and increased left-hand preference, and a negative correlation between increased feeding in a tripedal posture and increased left-hand preference. These results are discussed in terms of motor development and hemispheric specialization.

Development of hand preferences in marmosets (Callithrix jacchus) and effects of aging.

Development of hand preferences in marmosets (Callithrix jacchus) and effects of aging.

Lateral biases and fluctuations in infants' spontaneous arm movements and reaching

The development of hand preference in infant reaching is marked by several lateral fluctuations. This study investigated whether similar lateral fluctuations were present in infants' spontaneous, nonreaching, and freely performed movements. We collected reaching and nonreaching movements kinematics in 4 infants that we followed longitudinally during their 1st year. In their 4th year, we assessed the direction of their hand preference. We found that lateral biases in spontaneous, nonreaching movements in the 1st year showed several shifts that were similar to those observed in reaching. Despite these shifts, all 4 infants traversed a short period of right-handedness. This right-handedness matched the direction of their hand preference at 3 years of age. We propose that shifts in the development of hand preference in the 1st year are linked to successive reorganizations of the motor system. These reorganizations take place as infants learn to sit, crawl, and walk.

Maternal influences on the development of hand preference in infant chimpanzees

Lymphocyte proliferation responses and natural killer cell activity were evaluated in 35 juvenile rhesus monkeys derived from five different rearing conditions. Nursery-reared monkeys had proliferation responses which were significantly higher than those of mother-reared subjects. Reexamination of the nursery-reared monkeys 1.5 years later indicated that an abnormally high response to concanavalin A was still evident at 2.5 years of age, but both PHA and PWM responses had shown an age-appropriate decrease into the normal range for this species. Proliferation responses in monkeys that had been weaned early from their mothers at 6 months of age were also higher than values for control monkeys that remained with their mothers, but below those of the nursery-reared monkeys. In contrast, monkeys that had received multiple separations from the mother between 3 and 7 months of age showed lymphocyte proliferation responses that were below normal. These results indicate that early rearing conditions can have a lasting effect on certain immune responses in the developing primate.

Postnatal development of interhemispheric asymmetry in the cytoarchitecture of human area 4.

The postnatal development of interhemispheric asymmetry was analyzed in the primary motor cortex (area 4) of 20 human brains with quantitative cytoarchitectonic techniques. The volume fraction of cortical tissue occupied by cell bodies (grey level index) was determined by automated image analysis. In children as well as in adults, the volume fraction of cell bodies averaged over all cortical layers was greater on the right than on the left. Thus, the space between cell bodies, i.e. the volume fraction of neuropil containing axons, dendrites and synapses, was greater in the left than in the right primary motor cortex. At the level of single layers, however, interhemispheric asymmetry of the neuropil volume fraction differed between age groups. The supragranular layers were significantly less asymmetrical in children than in adults, whereas the infragranular layers showed a similar degree of asymmetry in both age groups. Thus, the postnatal development of the architectonic asymmetry in the supra- and infragranular layers of area 4 follows the same sequence of maturation as found during neuronal migration, i.e. an inside-to-outside gradient. Comparing the layer-specific developmental pattern with available functional data, it was found that the structural maturation of interhemispheric asymmetry in the supragranular layers correlates with the development of hand preference.

Early Sign Language Acquisition and the Development of Hand Preference in Young Children

Hand preference for signing and for nonsign actions was examined longitudinally in 24 young children (3 deaf, 21 hearing) with deaf parents. Most of these children showed a strong preference for their right hands in their sign production. This preference emerged early in their development, was relatively consistent over time, and predicted mature hand preference. Although most of the children also preferred to use their right hands in nonsign actions, their right-hand preference for signing was much stronger. Hand preference scores for two types of nonsign actions, communicative gestures and object actions, were significantly correlated with those for signing. Hand preference also was linked to rate of motor development but not to sign language acquisition. These findings are discussed with regard to current conceptualizations about the interrelationships among language, motor processes, and laterality.

The Development of Hand Preference in Children’s Early Signing

Hand preference during signing was examined longitudinally in nine very young children with deaf parents. These children typically showed a distinct and consistent hand preference in their signing, beginning with their production of their first signs. For most of the children, their preferred signing hand was their right hand. This hand preference in early signing, moreover, was significantly stronger than that for the children’s production of nonsign actions and gestures. Also, the children’s hand preference in their early signing predicted their eventual hand preference.

Task effects in the development of hand preference in 9‐, 13‐, and 20‐month‐old infant girls

Hand preference for reaching for objects was assessed in 63 female infants (twenty‐two 9‐month‐olds, eighteen 13‐month‐olds, and twenty‐three 20‐month‐olds). Unimanual reaching was elicited for five different kinds of objects after demonstrations of their use: putting pegs in a pegboard, drawing with a crayon, building a tower of cubes, stirring a spoon in a cup, and putting cubes in a cup. Bimanual manipulation was elicited for four different toys after demonstrations of their use: nut‐and‐bolt, car‐in‐a‐jar, ball‐in‐a‐box, and pinwheel. For unimanual reaching, there was a significant increase with age in the percentage of infants showing a right‐hand preference as well as an increase in strength of preference. Further analyses also revealed that of the different tasks, the crayon task was the most reliable predictor of hand preference, whereas the spoon‐in‐the‐cup task was the least reliable. For bimanual manipulation, frequency of right‐hand manipulation increased with age, although there were age‐rela...

Development of the infant's hand preference for visually directed reaching: Preliminary report of a longitudinal study

The development of hand preference in infancy was investigated longitudinally by using a visually-directed reaching task. Thirty-two infants, equally divided into groups of familial right- and left-handed boys and girls, were tested every 3 weeks from 24 to 39 weeks of age and once again at 52 weeks. Group trends for the development of hand preference were differentiated by familial handedness and sex of the infant. At all ages, test object position (to the infant's right or left) strongly influenced the hand used for reaching. Marked variability both between and within infants demonstrated an instability of early hand preference, an effect that could be appreciated fully only with a prospective longitudinal design. The results thus suggest that the development of hand preference for reaching is highly variable, discontinuous, and related to the interaction of sex and familial handedness.

Development of hand preference in the Colorado Adoption Project.

A longitudinal study of the development of hand preference in 152 adopted and 120 nonadopted (control) infants measured in natural behavioral situations at both 12 and 24 mo. of age is reported. Significant developmental trends were observed for both increasing strength and direction of handedness. Less than 10% of the infants exhibited a clear preference at 12 mo. of age, whereas about 30% were lateralized at 24 mo., with more boys than girls being left-handed. In contrast, over 90% of the parents of these children (both biological and adoptive parents of the adopted children and parents of the nonadopted children) were lateralized. Perhaps because so few infants were lateralized at either age, parent-offspring resemblances were inconsistent and the number of significant parent/child correlations was about that expected on the basis of chance alone.

Handedness in the common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus).

AbstractFor about 20 months the development of hand preferences in 21 experimentally naive common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus) was examined in 15 different tests. Test preferences were compared with their spontaneous behavior preferences in such contexts as feeding, grooming, play, and others. In the spontaneous use of the hands, only eight animals showed a significant lateral preference (2 left‐handed, 6 right‐handed). During the test period, however, the number of handed marmosets increased to 19 (5 left‐handed, 14 right‐handed). Most of the animals fluctuated considerably in their preference levels, a situation which led to a remarkable test response inconsistency of handedness. When the test situation was changed, complete reversals of handedness were more frequent than weakening or strengthening of a particular preference. The animals' emotions during the test session and environmental variables affected handedness significantly. None of the tested marmosets showed an increase of hand preference from the first to the last test. Our results indicate that Callithrix is ambidextrous rather than handed.