1. Mother's pregnancy; birth, toddlers, and kindergarteners:

Were there complications during pregnancy?   - no     - yes
If yes, what type of complication(s)?

Was the birth induced by artificial methods?    - no      - yes
If yes, why?

Were there any complications during the birth?   - no    - yes
If yes, what type of complication(s)?
-  heart sounds   - a blue tint the skin   - suction cups, forceps   - umbilical cord around the throat
- discolored/infected amniotic fluid   - fracture of the collarbone   - jaundice    - cesarean section

Post-natal examination:   - without problems   - problems? what kind?

crawling?   - yes   -  a little   -  no

learning to walk
age?   - 10-15 months    - 16-20 months   - 21-24 months

progress?   - without problems   - unsteadily   - with stumbling

learning to talk
age?  - 10-15 months   - 16-20 months   - 21-24 months

progress?  -  without problems   - problems
if so, what kind?

speech therapy?   - no   - yes
if yes, why?_____________________________________________________

vision problems?   - no   - yes
if so, what kind?
- squint   - a-stigmatism

movement therapy?   - no   - yes
if yes, why and what kind?_________________________________________

play therapy?   - no   -  yes
if yes, why?_____________________________________________________

ergotherapy?    - no   - yes
if yes, why?_____________________________________________________

illnesses that could pertain to the brain?   - no   - yes
if yes, what kind?________________________________________________
at what age?___________

injuries to the head?   - no   - yes
if yes, what kind? _______________________________________________
at what age?__________________

fever cramps or convulsions ?   - no   - yes

seizures?   - no   - yes

massive tantrums?   - no   - yes

injuries to one of the arms/to one of the hands   - no   - yes
which arm/hand?   - right   - left
what happened?_________________________________________________
after the injures, did a change in hand use occur?   - no   - yes

Give the age the child perform the following activities:
riding a bike (without training wheels):____________
roller-skates/skateboarding/in-line skating/ running or jogging:____________
ice-skating :____________
skiing :____________
swimming :____________

Does the child participate organized in sports?   - no   - yes
if yes, which?____________________________________________________
if yes, since when?/for how long?____________________________________

Can the child become absorbed in an activity when alone?
 

At what age was kindergarten attended?_______________________________

In kindergarten:
arts and crafts   - very much   - a lot   - not very much   - almost never   - never
skills at making arts and crafts   - precise   - imprecise

puzzles   - very much   - a lot   - not very much   - almost never    - never
legos      - very much    - a lot   - not very much   - almost never   - never
drawing  - very much    - a lot   - not very much   - almost never   - never

anything unusual about fine-motor system?   - no  - yes
if yes, what?_____________________________________________________

mirrored writing?   - no   - yes

switching back and forth between right and left?   - no   - yes

ability to concentration?   - no   - yes

show stamina?   - no   - yes
 
 

Which hand does the child prefer?   - left    - right

When did you notice the child's handedness?
- from approximately 12 months to three years
- three to four years
- five to seven years
 

During which activity or activities was handedness noticed?
- grabbing   - eating   - handshaking   - drawing   - writing
- other activity, which ?__________________________________________

Does the child tend to switch favored hand?   - no   - yes
if yes, when or at what age did this become particularly noticeable? ____________________________________
 
 
 
 

2. Children in Elementary School:

reads aloud?   - very much   - a lot   - not very much   - almost never   - never
quality of reading aloud   - very good   - good   - average   - below average
if bad, what kind of difficulties?_______________________________________________

reads quietly   - very much   - a lot   - not very much   - almost never   - never

Does the child enjoy more reading aloud or does it prefers to read silently?

Does the child start to read from the right?   - no   - yes

handwriting?   - very lovely   - lovely   - not so lovely

spelling?   - very good   - good   - bad
if bad, what kind of difficulties?

calculating?   - very good   - good   - bad
if bad , what kind of difficulties?

concentration in school?   - very good   - good   - bad
if bad , what kind of difficulties?
 
 
 

Working with the Questionnaire

The questions are posed by a researcher.

Problems in speech and movement which occurs before the start of school are especially indicative of problems in the area of cerebral damage; this sort of damage is generally subject to a regenerative process in which the intelligence is practically left unimpaired. These children may often also have massive fine motor disturbances and for that reason, they withdraw into themselves and avoid group activities in kindergarten typically involving arts and crafts.

See also the article "'Ambidextrous People' are Brain-Damaged" taken from the Münchener Medizinische Wochenschrift (reprinted in Sattler, The Converted Left-Hander, pp. 350-356).

© Copyright by Dr. Johanna Barbara Sattler. Published in the book The Left-Handed Child in Elementary School
 
 
 

© Copyright: Dr. Johanna Barbara Sattler, Consulting and Information Center for Left-handers and Converted Left-handers
(Erste deutsche Beratungs- und Informationsstelle für Linkshänder und umgeschulte Linkshänder)
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