Drawings
Children use art for both for enjoyment and as a means of expression. The art of children is individualistic and revealing. Instruction in the technique and interpretation of art is a component of the curriculum in most schools. In addition, classroom teachers can employ drawing as one component of activities designed to allow students to develop skills of reflection and expression. Narrative drawings—drawings that tell a story—can be incorporated into writing lessons, or used independently to strengthen skills of observation and description. Drawings are also effective tools of communication for students with limited verbal and written communication.
Drawings can help a psychologist determine a child's personality characteristics. A number of tests, such as Draw-A-Person Test, and Goodenough-Harris Drawing Test, are based on the notion that the ability to accurately draw human figures is one nonverbal measure of intelligence. For individuals with behavior and other personality disorders, art therapy is one of the tools available to explore and treat the symptoms and causes of the disorder. Art therapy is frequently employed in the treatment of eating disorders, in coping with chronic illness or long-term hospitalization, and in the education of autistic children.
For Further Study
Books
Dalley, Tessa. Art as Therapy: An Introduction to the Use of Art as a Therapeutic Technique. New York: Routledge, 1994.
Krampen, Martin. Children's Drawings: Iconic Coding of the Environment. New York: Plenum Press, 1991.
Levens, Mary. Eating Disorders and Magical Control of the Body: Treatment Through Art Therapy. New York: Routledge, 1995.
A drawing by an autistic student.Levich, Myra F. They Could Not Talk and So They Drew—Children 's Styles of Coping and Thinking. Springfield, IL: C.C. Thomas, 1983.
Linesch, Debra Greenspoon. Adolescent Art Therapy. New York: Brunner/Mazel, 1988.
Malchiodi, Cathy A. Breaking the Silence: Art Therapy with Children from Violent Homes. New York: Brunner/Mazal, 1990.
Mortensen, Karen. Form and Content in Children's Human Figue Drawings: Development, Sex Differences, and Body Experience. New York: New York University Press, 1991.
Santoy, Claude. Interpreting Your Child's Handwriting and Drawings Toddler to Teens. New York: Paragon House, 1991.
Thomas, Glyn V. Anghle M.J. An Introduction to the Psychology of Children's Drawings. New York: New York University Press, 1990.
Waller, Diane Elizabeth. Art Therapy: A Handbook. Milton Keynes, PA: Open University Press, 1992.
Working with Children in Art Therapy. New York: Routledge, 1990.
Periodicals
Evans, Sara, and Patricia McCormick. "Paint Power!" Parents Magazine 68, August 1993, pp. 104+.
Trudeau, Garry. "Out of the Crayons of Babes." The New York Times Magazine, January 22, 1995, pp. 34+.
Audiovisual Recordings
Squiggles, Dots, and Lines. Newton, MA: Kidvids, 1989. (One 25-minute videocasette, featuring Ed Emberley's simple tools for drawing.)
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