What is the thinking on left-handed scissors for children these days?

[Anonymous]

What is the thinking on left-handed scissors for children these days?

Our 6 yo daughter has sensory processing issues and is seeing an OT, who insists that our daughter needs special left-handed scissors.

(As an aside, this is the same OT who keeps saying her hand-dominance was unclear until recently, while all of the other adults in her life have always clearly seen her as a left-y).

My husband and I are both left-handed, and both learned to use right-handed scissors - so I know it can be done, and frankly the idea of our daughter needing to request special supplies each time she's in an office setting seems silly if she can avoid it. I've never personally had access to left-handed scissors as far as I am aware -- but I realize things will be different in a generation and also that I sound pretty old-school... does the OT have a point?

[Anonymous]

Why wouldn't you make it easier for your child who already is struggling? I would absolutely get them.

[Anonymous]

I'm in my late 40s and always had left handed scissors. Every classroom I remember had one or two of the green handled scissors for us lefties.
I can certainly use regular scissors now as an adult, but when I could find left handed scissors as a kid it made my life sooooo much easier.
I can't imagine why you'd force a kid who is already struggling to use a tool that isn't designed for her.

[Anonymous]

What hand does she use now to cut?

I’m another left-hander who learned to cut right-handed.

[Anonymous]

I love lefty scissors and was very grateful that when I was young my grandfather used to supply me with with left-handed scissors. They always felt much more comfortable to me. But I thought most scissors now can be used with both hands, designed ambidextrous, no?

[Anonymous]

No. My two kids are lefties and so am I. We all just use right handed scissors. I tried to buy so many left handed scissors and none of them worked well. Is theOT a lefty?

[Anonymous]

My 15yo uses left-handed scissors and has since he started cutting. My husband is also left-handed and talked (and talks) about all of the difficulties lefties face, so I have a soft spot for left-handedness. With that said, given your daughter's difficulties, I'd absolutely buy her left-handed scissors.

[Anonymous]

Get real left handed that have the blade the right way for lefties too not just the handle

[Anonymous]

Sensory-processing issues or not, left-handed scissors are an inexpensive tool for giving a young kid independence and confidence. Maybe your daughter will learn to use any old scissors as she grows up, but why withhold the tool she needs (and OT is recommending) now?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No. My two kids are lefties and so am I. We all just use right handed scissors. I tried to buy so many left handed scissors and none of them worked well. Is theOT a lefty?

+1

[Anonymous]

Get her a pair and see if she likes them. My lefty has always HATED left handed scissors. Of course, she couldn't cut very neatly with the right handed scissors until she got to 3rd or 4th grade....

[Anonymous]

Eh I CANT cut anything in a straight line with my R hand and/or using R handed scissors. Its not that big of a deal and honestly left-handedness is 10% of the population. Its probably more but too many people try to change it so lets says 10-20%.

That means in a class of 20 there are >2-4 kids who are left handed. Typical class sizes are 25-40 so >2.5-4 kids. A school has 80-100 K-6th grade students for each grade. so >8-16 kids per grade are Left-handed. Why shouldn't they have left scissors available?

[Anonymous]

I'm a leftie and thank god for those green handled lefty scissors. As I got older, I learned to use right handed scissors and that's what I use now.

If I had a SN or kid doing OT who was also left-handed, I would buy the lefty scissors. DD who is also a lefty moved pretty quickly to the right handed scissors so give both a try.

[Anonymous]

Get her the left-handed scissors. And when she's an adult she can bring her own pair with her to the office if necessary. Don't make her life more difficult now than it needs to be.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What is the thinking on left-handed scissors for children these days?

Our 6 yo daughter has sensory processing issues and is seeing an OT, who insists that our daughter needs special left-handed scissors.

(As an aside, this is the same OT who keeps saying her hand-dominance was unclear until recently, while all of the other adults in her life have always clearly seen her as a left-y).

My husband and I are both left-handed, and both learned to use right-handed scissors - so I know it can be done, and frankly the idea of our daughter needing to request special supplies each time she's in an office setting seems silly if she can avoid it. I've never personally had access to left-handed scissors as far as I am aware -- but I realize things will be different in a generation and also that I sound pretty old-school... does the OT have a point?

I think that a kid can learn to use left-handed scissors and then later, when her hands are strong, learn to use right-handed. Whether or not she uses leftie scissors at 6 doesn't mean she can't make a different decision later. But, I also have no idea why an adult would need to request special office supplies every time. First of all, do people working in offices really use scissors that often? I'm a teacher, so I use mine, but I also bring my own pair, despite being right handed, because quality scissors make a difference. So, I imagine if I was left handed I'd bring a pair of left handed ones.