APA Dictionary of Psychology

difficulty in distinguishing left from right and, in some cases, difficulty with other spatial relationships, such as that of uptown and downtown. Some directional confusion is common up to the age of 6 or 7, especially during the early stages of reading, writing, and spelling, and also in people with mixed laterality. Persistent directional confusion may indicate minimal brain dysfunction or a history of forced conversion from left-handedness to right-handedness.