Handedness in People with Mental Retardation in Relation to Differences in Gender, Degree of Mental Retardation, and Familial Sinistrality

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  • 精神遅滞児の利き手に関する研究 : 性差、遅滞の程度、親の利き手との関係について
  • セイシン チタイジ ノ キキテ ニカンスルケンキュウ セイサ チタイ ノ テイ

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Abstract

The prevalence of right-, mixed-, and left-handedness, and the degree of lateralization, were examined in children and young adults. Participants included 1303 persons without disabilities (655 males, 648 females), ranging from 2 to 26 years of age, and 287 persons with mental retardation (179 males, 188 females), ranging from 6 to 22 years of age. Individuals without disabilities were divided into six age groups (2-3 yrs old, 4 yrs, 5 yrs, 6 yrs, 8-14 yrs, and 15-26 yrs). Individuals with mental retardation were divided into three groups according to degree of retardation (mild, moderate, and severe). Handedness was assessed by a 6-item questionnaire. A significant difference was found in the prevalence of right- and mixed-handedness between the males and females without' mental retardation in the 2- to 3-yr-old and the 8- to 14-yr-old groups. In both age groups, the prevalence of mixed handedness in males was significantly higher than that in females. No significant difference was found in the prevalence of each type of handedness among the three groups of subjects with mental retardation that differed in degree of retardation, nor between the males and females in each of these three groups. However, comparison of the groups with and without mental retardation in terms of the prevalence of each type of handedness revealed that the prevalence of mixed handedness in females with mental retardation was significantly higher than that of females without mental retardation. These data were discussed in terms of pathological left-handedness.

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