370 Kinetic Family Drawings by Children with Perceptual-motor Delays Larry M. Raskin, PhD, and Georgia Pitcher-Baker, PhD Kinetic Family Drawings (KFDs)from 50 example, the studies of Goodenough (1926) kindergarten and first-grade children with Machover (1949), Harris (1963), and Hammer perceptual-motor delays are compared with (1955)are well known those done by 50 children of the same age In general, there are two approaches to without such delays. Each child was asked to interpreting drawings by children. Some make a drawing of his family, including himself, clinicians interpret them as projections of the with everyone doing something. All drawings unconscious aspect of the childs personality were scored on criteria developed by Burns and structure, an expression of inner needs, feelings, Kaufman and by Koppitz: isolation-rejection iflicts, and motivations. Others regard them body concerns, and sibling rivalry. The KFDs of as measures of mental maturity. Some use the children with delayed development showed drawings both ways. For example, Koppitz more of these indicators than did the control(1968)stated that HF Ds reflect the child's group's KFDs. A further analysis of the results current level of mental development as well as ests that isolation rejection and body inter al relationships attitudes, and concerns differentiate the children who show cerns of a given moment. In answering Rivalry is not a significant discriminator, KFDs technique, she supported her clinical interpreta- diagnosis and treatment of the problems of Kaufman(1970, 1972)expanded the original of the hfd by asking the child to dra ng(KFD) technique the that kinetic d is a projective test developed by Burns and more information about the child and more aid Kaufman(1970, 1972)for use by psychiatrists in understanding the troubled child than d and clinical psychologists. To date, there is drawings showing no action scant literature concerning its use. On the other The present study incorporates the ideas of hand, its forerunners, the Human Figure Koppitz and her forerunners with those of Drawing(HFD)technique and the House - Tree- Burns and Kaufman. Previously clinical obser Person(H-T-P) test, have attracted considerable vations suggested that children with learning attention from clinicians and researchers. For problems often manifest delayed perceptual Volume 10, Number 6, June/july, 1977
and/or motor development, frequently have administered in small groups of 7 to 20 rather difficulties in interpersonal relationships, and than individually. The instructions recom- may appear to be"emotionally involved. mended by Burns and Kaufman were followed Recently, reports indicate that the HFD in all other respects technique is sensitive to these factors in The children were taken to an unused room learning disabled children(Raskin Beatty in their school building, and each was isolated 1973)and those with visual problems(Bachara, sufficiently to insure that copying was virtually Zaba& Raskin 1975). the present study aims impossible. Members of the testing team to ascertain whether the kFd technique might distributed a sheet of paper, 8v by 11 inches, be useful(1)in identifying emotional factors in and a pencil to each child. The following ildren with perceptual-motor delay d directions were given: "Draw a picture of (2)in differentiating between children with and everyone in your family, including yourself without those delays doing something. Draw whole people, not cartoons or stick people. Remember, make PROCEDURE everyone The opportunity to study the usefulness of action. "Each member of the testing team then KFDs appeared when 359 kindergarten and moved about the room discouraging exchanges first-grade children were screened for per- between children by sitting facing a child and eptual-motor problems. All were given the speaking in soft, encouraging tones. In this way, Martin Screening Test for Motor Disabilities one child's view of another was obstructed as ST)(Martin 1971)and the Developmental much as po ' est of Visual-Motor Integration(VMI)(Beery If a child was slow or reluctant, he was 1967)to identify those who might benefit from encouraged to begin by drawing himself. No plementary programming. a cutoff score of other pressures or suggestions were made.The 13 on the Mst was arbitrarily chosen child held up his hand when he was finished include the lower 30% of the kindergarten One of the team then obtained the names of population in the supplemental program the people in the drawing and each Martin 1971). For the first grade, where activity, since young children frequently intend integrative abilities should be emerging( Birch& action of sophisticated and graphic movements Belmont 1965, Jones Robinson 1973),16% which they can only verbalize. When these ere selected with an arbitrary cutoff score of intentions were recorded, the child was allowed 15 on the MSt to return to his classroo VMI alent were computed accordi SCORING Discrepancy between chronological age and All KFDs were assigned code numbers and VMI age score was also computed for each listed by age and sex of artist. They were scored child. Those kindergarten and first-grade by two independent specialists who gave children scoring in the lowest 20% according to attention to characteristics of the drawings this discrepancy were also placed in the indicating feelings of (1)isolation-rejection program. These instruments identified 123 of (2)body concerns, and (3)sibling rivalry he 359 children (Burns Kaufman 1970, 1972, Koppitz 1968) From this developmentally delayed group, Feelings of isolation- rejection were scored if the 50 children were randomly selected to partic te in the KFD study. An additional 50 *Our study done solely for resear children from the nondelayed group were individual diagnostic purposes, shows that group chosen randomly for comparison. The com- administration is extremel bined sample included 48 males and 52 fem of KFDs be used for latched for age and sex. the mean age w years. As a unique procedure, the KIDs OZUUT AURI
child drew himself separated from all other square scores for each of the criteria. family members. this separation of individuals Isolation-rejection appeared in 25 of the could be established by phy sical objects such as drawings from the developmentally delayed a car or furniture, lines representing rooms in group and in seven of the control group the house, or his appearing on the back of the (x=14.89, df=1, p<.001 ). Body concerns page. body concerns were scored on the basis appeared in 29 of the drawings of the of Koppitz's(1968)criteria. These criteria are developmentally delayed group, and in 13 of poor integration of body parts, excessive oup (x2=10.50,df=1,p<.01) shading of a body area, omission of parts, Surprisingly, rivalry was observed in only six umerous erasures, and exaggeration of any drawings of the perceptual-motor group and part of the body. This scoring system also takes five drawings of the control group. there was into account the age and sex of the artist For no significant difference on this factor. Figure 1 xample, Koppitz's research showed that shows a KFD with all three indicators drawn by certain features indicating emotional problems a child in the perceptual-motor group for an 8-year old would not be significant for a This study offers interesting speculations 6-year old. Sibling rivalry was scored by the concerning the emotional development of incidence of aggressive and competitive children with perceptual-motor delays. In oul behavior. Included were throwing or hitting a experience, older children, in the 10-to 12-year ball toward a sibling, hitting him, or pushing a age range, who have experienced continued awn mower toward him frustrations in school owing to a developmental The drawings were scored by two raters, disorder, tend to display concomitant emo- who neither collected the drawings nor assigned tional factors. The more fruitful outcome o code numbers to them. It was found that, when research with KFDs may be for the treatment clear definitions of criteria for scoring were of such psy chological problems. Knowing that a provided, the KFD scoring was extremely childs perceptual-motor development is reliable. Disagreements between the two scorers delayed might suggest, in addition, coexistent were solely on the indicators of body concerns feelings of isolation rejection and other inter- in five drawings. These disagreements had to do personal problems. Therefore, the clinician may with interpreting the small size childs anticipate the nature of some emotional own likeness, whether certain shadings indi- problems and, before they become too great cated clothing, and what constituted an begin to help the child and family understand exaggerated body part. The data below for and deal with them. On the reverse, if these body concerns are those of the rater who was problems are identified early enough, the completely una ware of the aims of this study. clinician may be alerted to other developmental Much to our surprise, there were no disagree- difficulties that accompany or result from ments on isolation-rejection or sibling rivalry. delayed perceptual and or motor abilities. The conclusions show that two clinical RESULTS AND DISCUSSION indicators of emotional involvement isolation. ni-square with Yates's Correction for Con- rejection and body concerns, are more frequent tinuity was used to analyze the frequency with in children of average intelligence who are which isolation-rejection, body concerns, and slower than their peers to develop perceptual sibling rivalry occurred. KFDs of 43 of the 50 and/or motor abilities. Rivalry, the third perceptual-motor delayed children had one or indicator, appears to be as prevalent in the more of the signs while only 7 had none. KFDs developmentally delayed group as in the ly 22 of the 50 nondelayed children ha one or more signs. The difference between the Further, the data from this study indicate two groups was statistically significant that the KfD is a promising technique for use (x=19 38, df=1, p<.001). The results were in a diagnostic clinical battery for young analyzed further by obtaining separate Chi- children. It is a useful tool for research and may ume Copyright o 2001 All Rights Reserved
373 一分 Iner FIGURE 1. Kinetic Family Drawing illustrating al/ three indicators lend itself to inclusion in group screening tion-March of Dimes Grant to the Child Evaluation procedures. We suggest, however, that a HFD Center, Department of Pediatrics, University of also be obtained since a child may often spe otisville School of Medicine, Opinions expressed are ess time on the details of the kfd figures those of the authors and do not necessarily reflet While some appear to concentrate on the action analysis by S / Baker, a student in the Department of and others on the figure, rarely did a child Psychology University of Miam,Coral Gables appear to concentrate on both. This made the Florida. The drawings were scored"blind"by Larry scoring of body concerns very difficult. We also Raskin and Steve Klee, who was unaware of the nature eel that additional research is needed to clarify findings such as these. Do children with REFERENCES perceptual-motor difficulties more or les and Raskin, L.M. Human automatically develop feelings of isolation and gure rejection, or do perceptual-motor difficulties 1975, 11, 211-22 oroblems. Academic Therapy, styles that invite such Beery, K.E.: Developmental Test of visual-Motor Center, University of Louisville Medical School, Birch, H, and Belmon 540 South Preston St, Louisville, Ky. 40202 CKNOWLEDGMENTS PHS-HSMA and a Nati r/Maze/, 1970
374 Burns, RC, and Kaufman, S.H.: Actions, Styles, and Koppitz, E.M. Psychological Evaluation of children's Symbols in Kinetic Family Drawings(K-F-D). An Human Figure Drawings. New York: Grune Interpretive Manual. New York: Bruner/Maze/ 68 1972. Machover, K: Personality projections in the Drawin Goodenough, F.L.: The Measurement of intelligenc of the Human Figure. Springfield, Il.: Thomas by Drawing. Yonkers-on-the-Hudson, N.Y. World Book, 1926. Martin, L, L: Construction of a scre Hammer, E.F.: The H-T-P Clinical Research Manual identify children with possible Beverly Hills: Western Psychol. Services, 1955. kindergarten, first, and second grade. Doctor farris, D B,. Children's Drawings as Measures of dissertation, Purdue University 7971 Intellectual Maturity. New York: Harcourt, Brace, Raskin, L.M., and Beatty, N.E.: Human Figure Drawings by clinic- and schoo/-tested Jearnit Jones, B,, and Robinson, T,: Sensory integration in normal and retarded children. Dev. Psycho, 1973 tional Symposium on Learning Disabilities /ll 9,178-182 Miami, Florida, October, 1973. MALNOURISHED CHILDREN WHO are Each bibliography averages 100 citations with adopted before they are 3 years old are likely publication date, author, title, source to overcome their deficits in learning ability, 200-word summary, and information on how to height, and weight by the time they are 7-12 obtain complete publications. For a list of years old. Findings in support of this titles, write to the Council, 1920 Association contention were reported by Jo Anne brasel at Dr, Reston, Va. 22091 a conference on food and nutrition sponsored by the New York Academy of Sciences. Three To ASSIST OPTOMETRISTS who wish to groups of Korean children were studied. The become involved with federal programs in well-nourished"group, when admitted to the learning disabilities, the American Optometric adoption agency at less than 12 mon ths, was Association's Public Health Committee has above the 50th percentile for height and weight issued a manual of practical advice. The according to Korean standards. The second publication includes summaries and tests of group, moderately nourished, was between the applicable laws and regulations, plus ideas for 25th and 3rd percentiles, and the third group specific optometric involvement. Similar consisted of children below the 3rd percentile manuals are available for federal programs in on admission. All were adopted before 2 years vocational rehabilitation and maternal and child of age and their growth and U.S. school health. Costing $5 each, the manuals can be were 7-12 years old. The results show that all Washington, D.C.2003%. 1730 M Street NW children exceeded Korean norms for weight and height but none reached U.S. norms. Also, the ADDRESS CORRECTION: In the April ge iQ of the issue of the /ournal the address on page children matched the U. S. norm at follow-up. 218 of Lotte Kaliski's article was give incorrectly. the correct address is 1 27 W THE COUNCIL FOR EXCEPTIONAL 79th St, New York, N.Y. 10024.We CHILDREN provides a series of bibliographies regret this error and ask readers to make of over 60 preselected titles. The series spans the change in their copies many areas of subject interest and discipline Volume 10, Number 6, June/July, 1977 Copyright@ 2001 All Rights Reserved
Copyright of Journal of Learning Disabilities is the property of Sage Publications Inc and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use
Copyright of Journal of Learning Disabilities is the property of Sage Publications Inc. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use
