Knife and Fork Question

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Hi : ) ,

I am just wondering if others had difficulty learning to use a knife and fork when they were a child.

I had a terrible time learning to do this:

- I would try and hold the fork in the right, instead of the left
- I would use the fork kind of like a shovel
- Things fell off the fork a lot, especially with the left hand
- I far preferred eating with my hands, much to my mothers horror
- Generally I would end up with my hands and face a sticky mess well into childhood and teens because of my knife and fork issues. I was also good at getting stuff on the floor too.

Anyone else had this while growing up?
I still find eating a messy process at times.

My parents would constantly tell me and my sister to hold our forks in our right hand and knives in our left, but I couldn't do it. I don't think this has anything to do with being on the spectrum though (my sister's an NT).

Maybe a fine motor delay?

Tricky stuff, silverware .....

Yeah, my dad made us do the knife-right, fork-left thing. Apparently it was inferior to do it the "American way," which meant putting down your knife after cutting and just using your fork in your right hand. I couldn't coordinate his "European way."
I did it the undesirable way anyway, and still do to this day. So does my NT brother, though (but without the coordination problem).

I just use a fork with my left and the kife only when its necessary.^^

*shrug*

I only ever really used a fork I think, and I still prefer to use my fingers.

I was never taught how to use a knife. When a dish given to me needed to be cut my mother always did it herself before it was put on my plate. I guess if I was ever allowed to do it, I'd have many problems with it because even using a spoon used to be quite a difficult issue for me - strange as it seems (well, maybe not on this forum )my mother used to feed me even when I was about ten because it was simply much faster - I used to hold my spoon rather clumsily, once at school when I was eating dinner one girl informed me I was holding my spoon in a strange manner but I'm not quite sure what she meant by this

I couldn't figure it out until I watched a Father Dowling (sp?) episode about a criminal who ate like a European. That is to hold the fork in the left hand and knife in the right the whole time he ate meat and cut one piece at a time. I've eaten meat like that ever since. It was part of the plot too. He was identified as the culprit by the way he ate.
I got so tired of being nagged about not cutting my food, cutting too much food at one time, not holding the utensils right.

Fork in left and Knife in the right is the standard way in many places, I thought. When I go to a restaurant, tables seem to be set out this way.

People of my home country eat the European way, but at the moment I hold the fork with my right my mother would not be happy.

My kid used to have major fine motor skill issues at one point and had difficulty with the fork and spoon, but that's all been rectified. He's fine with it now. But, too young to use a knife so I can't speak for that.

I have noticed that many spectrum kids don't hold their utensils properly. They kind of "saw" into their food if you will with the fork and hold it in a clutch instead of grip. But, I'm sure as they grow, that will change.

I still hold my fork in my left, and cut with my right.

I remember one time when I as about 13 or so I was attempting to cut something on my plate, and I was having a hard time with it. Suddenly, my dad started violently shaking the table, and as I looked up at his very angry face I couldn't figure out what was wrong. I guess that I had been inadvertently shaking the table as I was trying to cut my meat, so my dad in his infinite wisdom thought that he would help by confusing, and embarrassing me. I didn't finish eating meat, because I couldn't get it cut up without shaking the table or using my fingers. Thanks for the positive encouragement Dad...

I was always good with knife and forks, I am ambidextrous and switch hands all the time. But its ok to use you hands to, except for spaggetti and other messy things. I was terrible with chop sticks but I am now very proficient, even with rice,

I eat the European way, but I've always had trouble managing spaghetti, and these days will break them in half before cooking them. I use my fingers for eating chicken drumsticks and spare ribs.

I love eating with chopsticks but rarely get an opportunity to do so since I'm not fond of Asian food and Western food isn't suited for chopsticks.

In America, it's polite to cut one's meat one or two pieces at time (fork in left hand, knife in right), then set your knife down and eat with your fork in your right hand. I think that is also indicative that NTs eat different parts of their meal. That's too choreographed for me and leaves too many chances to drop something. So, I do it the European way and just eat my meat at once.

the only thing i eat with my fingers are corn and peas.Sometimes beans too.

I eat like I'm left handed, and I'm quite clumsy. I always manage to turn the knife so it's upside down when it's time to use it for cutting. Chopsticks is completely impossible! I eat "European style", but like a lazy clumsy European!