HANDEDNESS IN THE MENTALLY HANDICAPPED

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Abstract
The prevalence of left-handedness and the degree of handedness were examined in 130 normal and mentally handicapped pupils of both sexes, aged 7-18 yr. Handedness was assessed by means of 10 performance items. The prevalence of left-handedness among normal pupils (10.6%) was significantly lower than that for the mentally handicapped group (26.5%). There was no significant difference in the prevalence of left-handedness between the netally handicapped pupils with and without Downs'' syndrome. The degree of handedness was also reduced in the mentally handicapped group, but again there was no difference between those with and without Down''s syndrome.