ABSTRACT
The prediction of the right shift theory that there are two types of dyslexia with different distributions of handedness was examined in a large cohort of school children. Dyslexics with poor phonology were less biased to dextrality than controls, while dyslexics without poor phonology tended to be more dextral than controls on measures of hand preference and hand skill. Relatives also differed for handedness, as expected if phonological dyslexics were less likely than nonphonological dyslexics and controls to carry the hypothesized rs + gene.
Subject(s)
Dyslexia/diagnosis , Functional Laterality , Child , Cross-Sectional Studies , Dyslexia/genetics , Female , Follow-Up Studies , Humans , Longitudinal Studies , Male , PhoneticsABSTRACT
The question whether there is an association between handedness and dyslexia has been investigated in many studies spanning more than 50 years. In 1990, Bishop reviewed studies which met stringent methodological criteria and concluded that there was little support for an association. A reanalysis of the same studies using newer procedures of meta-analysis shows that there is a small but reliable increase in the proportion of nonright-handers among dyslexics as expected by the right-shift theory of handedness of Annett.
