The Prevalence of Left-Handedness Is Higher Among Individuals With Developmental Coordination Disorder Than in the General Population

Abstract

Many medical, psychiatric and neurological conditions have been characterized by a high prevalence of left-handedness or mixed-handedness. Several studies have indicated an elevated frequency of left-handedness in children with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD). However, there have been few studies explicitly exploring this relationship. The assumption is that the prevalence of left-handedness in individuals with DCD is higher compared with the prevalence in the general population and resembles the prevalence described in children with other developmental disorders. Computerized searches were conducted in PubMed, PsycInfo and CINAHL databases. Thirty-eight studies were identified and included in the present review, containing handedness distributions across 1071 persons with DCD and 1,045 controls. The distribution of DCD participants across handedness-categories was proved to be significantly different from that of the control group, with 14.7 and 8.1% left-handers, respectively. The prevalence of left-handedness within the DCD-group is lower than that reported for ASD, and larger than in dyslexia. The elevated levels of left-handedness within the different developmental disorders supports the notion of an association between the different diagnoses. However, the present results are not sufficient to conclude anything about a common cause or underlying factor via the male hormone testosterone. The present results could act as a starting point for testing the hypothesis of such a common factor, as one of the requirements is an elevated prevalence of left-handedness, and without such considerable doubt would be cast upon the hypothesis.

Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD): Relevance for clinical psychologists in Europe

“…This research may function in parallel with the necessary validation of DCD screening tools in additional languages. Future research should also aim to identify if prevalence differs across genders, as well as the consistency of other links such as left-handedness ( Darvik et al, 2018 ) and links to motor integration.…”

“…These gender differences may also be a consequence of bias in detection of symptoms or referral bias, as has occurred for similar neurodevelopmental disorders such as ADHD ( Young et al, 2020 ). Beyond gender differences, recent research found that left-handedness is nearly twice as prevalent among those with DCD as it is for typically developing controls ( Darvik et al, 2018 ). Further research has yet to explore the underlying mechanisms in this phenomenon.…”

Hands Stencils in El Castillo Cave (Puente Viesgo, Cantabria, Spain). An Interdisciplinary Study

“…Genetics has established that 40 weak genes contribute to determining whether people are right-handed or left-handed. The gene known as LRRTM1 has been associated with a greater likelihood of being left-handed, whereas the PCSK6 gene has been associated with the likelihood of being right-handed (Darvik et al 2018). But genetics is not the only factor contributing to the preference for one hand over the other.…”

“…There are more left-handed males (13%) than there are females (9%), without the cause for this difference being known. The child of a left-handed father and mother has more than a 50% chance of also being left-handed (Darvik et al 2018).…”

Laterality in Children: Evidence for Task-Dependent Lateralization of Motor Functions

“…It has been shown, for instance, that a less lateralized brain, which would correspond to a less lateralized behavioral preference, is related to some deficits in cognitive development [13] and to a higher risk of mental health [14][15][16], also in children [17]. A higher prevalence of left or mixed handedness has been reported in several developmental disorders, both in the socio-communicative domain (e.g., autism spectrum disorders; for a review, see [18]) and in the motor domain (e.g., developmental coordination disorder; for a review, see [19]), compared to the general population. This evidence is consistent with the hypothesis that atypical cerebral and/or behavioral lateralization may reflect a potentially dysfunctional brain organization, possibly due to the non-optimal distribution across the two hemispheres of specific functions.…”