Uppsala University, Department of Psychology, Box 1225, SE 751 42 Uppsala, Sweden.
Pediatrics. 2010 Feb;125(2):e340-8. doi: 10.1542/peds.2009-1165. Epub 2010 Jan 25.
Problems with language and symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in childhood and adolescence are often strongly linked to low scholastic performance. Early recognition of children who are at increased risk is necessary. Our objective was to determine whether mixed-handedness, which is associated with atypical cerebral laterality, is associated with language, scholastic, and ADHD symptoms in childhood and adolescence.
Prospective data come from the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1986, a longitudinal, population-based birth cohort with assessments when children were 7 to 8 and 16 years of age (N = 7871). Teacher, parent, and/or adolescent reports were used to assess language difficulties, scholastic performance, and mental health, including ADHD symptoms.
Mixed-handed children, relative to right-handed, had approximately a twofold increase in odds of having difficulties with language and scholastic performance at the age of 8 years. Eight years later, as 16-year-olds, adolescents had twofold increase in odds concerning difficulties in school with language and with ADHD symptoms. Mixed-handed children were more likely to have scores indicating probable psychiatric disturbance, including ADHD symptoms. As adolescents, mixed-handed children with previous behavioral problems were at considerably higher risk for scoring within the range of probable ADHD-inattention or ADHD-combined case. Mixed-handedness was associated with greater symptom severity in children and adolescents (P = .01) concerning psychiatric disturbance and ADHD inattention but not ADHD hyperactivity.
The results indicate that mixed-handed children have a greater likelihood of having language, scholastic, and mental health problems in childhood and that these persist into adolescence. Thus, these results suggest that mixed-handedness, particularly in the presence of difficulties, could aid in the recognition of children who are at risk for stable problems. Additional research is needed to understand the connections between neural substrates related to atypical cerebral asymmetry, mixed-handedness, and mental health problems including ADHD symptoms.
儿童和青少年时期的语言问题和注意力缺陷/多动障碍（ADHD）症状通常与学业成绩低下密切相关。早期识别高风险儿童是必要的。我们的目的是确定混合手性（与非典型大脑偏侧性相关）是否与儿童和青少年时期的语言、学业和 ADHD 症状有关。
前瞻性数据来自于芬兰北部出生队列 1986 年，这是一项纵向、基于人群的出生队列研究，在儿童 7 至 8 岁和 16 岁时进行评估（n=7871）。教师、家长和/或青少年报告用于评估语言困难、学业成绩和心理健康，包括 ADHD 症状。
与右利手相比，混合手的儿童在 8 岁时出现语言和学业困难的几率大约增加了两倍。8 年后，作为 16 岁的青少年，他们在语言和 ADHD 症状方面出现学校困难的几率增加了两倍。混合手的儿童更有可能出现表明可能存在精神障碍的分数，包括 ADHD 症状。作为青少年，有先前行为问题的混合手儿童在 ADHD 注意力不集中或 ADHD 混合型病例范围内的评分风险显著增加。混合手与儿童和青少年的精神障碍和 ADHD 注意力不集中（P=0.01）更严重的症状有关，但与 ADHD 多动无关。
结果表明，混合手的儿童在儿童期更有可能出现语言、学业和心理健康问题，并且这些问题会持续到青春期。因此，这些结果表明，混合手性，特别是在存在困难的情况下，可能有助于识别有稳定问题风险的儿童。需要进一步研究来理解与非典型大脑不对称、混合手性和包括 ADHD 症状在内的心理健康问题相关的神经基础之间的联系。
