Why do kids write some numbers and letters in mirror image?

Question

I’ve been practicing the ABCs and 123s with my son and notice that certain letters (J N P S Z) and numbers (4 6) he always writes backwards/mirror imaged. I’ve seen other kids, and even my own writings as a child, have the same quirk. Is this pretty much universal?

In: 1018

Answer 1

They may have some left/right confusion. This could be a sign of a developmental delay or a learning disability. Heck, it may even be age appropriate. The brain doesn’t have a good sense of left/right until about 8 years old. So lots of young children are going to have, or not recognize, letter reversals because their brains sense of directionality prevents them from noticing it.