This qualitative study explored flow experiences in art therapy with three children from families that had immigrated to the United States from South Korea and were facing acculturation gaps. The children's flow experiences were examined through multiple data sources including videotaped art therapy sessions, children's post-session interviews,…

The purpose of this study was to increase understanding of the diversity of characteristics in the drawings of children in Mexico City. The authors conducted a thematic analysis of 174 drawings from children ages 6 to 11 that revealed two main discrete themes: nature and stress. A personalized, supportive relationship with nature emerged as a…

This article explores the dynamics of orphaned children's engagement with art therapy in a group of preadolescent children living in a Russian orphanage. The phenomenon of repetition compulsion (i.e., origins in past traumatic experiences, destructive consequences, and protective psychic function) is discussed with respect to the children's…

In this article, the author examines the use of transitional objects in a case study of a 12-year-old boy, documenting the role of art therapy in helping the boy cope with the trauma of his parents' recent separation and divorce. Transitional objects emerged spontaneously as the boy integrated the transition that the divorce of his parents…

This paper describes methodology, data analysis, and initial results of a research study with the long-term goal of establishing contemporary normative data on drawings from children living in the United States. The pool of participants was composed of 316 fourth graders (mean age 9.69 years) and 151 second graders (mean age 7.56 years) who each…

For mental health professionals, art assessment is a useful tool for patient evaluation and diagnosis. Consideration of various color-related elements is important in art assessment. This correlational study introduces the concept of variety of color as a new color-related element of an artwork. This term represents a comprehensive use of color,…

Assembles information about theories of child art into conceptual basis related to interpretation of children's art. General overview of nine theories or models of child art (naive realism, recapitulation, personality, developmental, intellectualist, haptic-visual, perceptual development, perception-delineation model, and author's synthesis) gives…

Explores whether children with AD/HD respond differently to a specific art directive. Using the Formal Elements Art Therapy Scale to evaluate the drawings, results indicate three elements that would most accurately predict the artists into the AD/HD group: color prominence, details of objects and environments, and line quality. (Contains 29…

Traces history of protruding tongue from ancient times to present in attempt to explain tongue's appearance in drawings of children who have been sexually abused. Includes informal study of tongue symbol in art expressions of children who have experienced sexual molestation. (Author/NB)

Describes the drawings of an autistic 8-year-old boy and investigates the role of art in his life considering art's relationship, by style and content, to his emotional and daily experiences. Indicates his four distinct drawing styles along with what these styles suggest about art's narrative qualities and its meaning-making possibilities. (CMK)

Investigates the use of three art-based instruments using imagery that measure children's cognitive development. Suggests that Raven's Coloured Progressive Matrices, the British Picture Vocabulary Scale, and the Naglieri Draw-A-Person Test would be useful tools for art therapists to more systematically view children's drawings from a developmental…

Presents case studies of two children of four and five years who had experienced sexual abuse. Discusses the significance of their drawings in relation to the uncovering and treating of the trauma of sexual abuse. (RJC)

Ruth Faison Shaw was an art educator who developed a nontraditional educational perspective of teaching and a different vision about children's art. As such, she is considered by some to be the initiator of finger-painting in America (The History of Art Education Timeline 1930-1939, 2002.) Shaw developed the technique of finger-painting and a…

Questions whether the American Art Therapy Association (AATA) has given adequate attention to the potential long-term and damaging effects on a child by publicly exhibiting their art produced in therapy. Ethics, confidentiality, authenticity, and censorship of client art are examined. Suggests that AATA should adopt guidelines to protect the…

Examines the effects of wartime trauma on the artistic expression of 35 Bosnian and Croatian children, ages 4-12. Discusses their cognitive development in terms of the Intuitive-Symbolic and Concrete-Operative levels. Includes four examples of representative paintings. (MJP)