10 Fears and Distress
This subject is naturally quite complex, and I will address i t from the points of view of the child, the parent and the mental health professional . The moment when a child encounters difficulty can be a moment when he discovers his strengths and manages to confront and overcome obstacles, but it can also be a painful moment, when he discovers his limitations and has to come to terms with the implications of this discovery.
Drawings, in this case, can be invaluable diagnostic tools, particularly when the child finds it impossible to articulate his thoughts. Being nonverbal, drawings can be used to express the child's deepest, innermost feelings.
We observe our children every day, trying to follow their progress and choices. They often invite us to take part in their development, but quite often we are asked or forced not to intervene. As a result, we have many unanswerable questions: Do we really know how our child is doing? Will he turn to us for help? Will we discover the source of difficulty on time, or will it be too late?
Drawings analysis is even broader and more diverse than handwriting analysis. Here, the child's expression is more spontaneous, relatively free of limitations and rul es. Each choice the child makes in a drawing is affected by his physical, cognitive and emotional state, more than by the need to imitate and carry out a task dictated from above. By the way, this is also why we may attribute meaning to the scribbles that will adorn the child's notebooks in his early school years.
Below I discuss several indicators that require particular attention when detected in drawings. Again, remember that no single indicator is sufficient to suggest an unequivocal conclusion regarding fear or distress, or any other conclusion for that matter – you must detect several indicators over a long period of time.
Sudden regression to an earlier drawing stage
For example, a six year-old, who has hitherto drawn formally and symbolically, suddenly reverts to the scribbling stage. To make such a judgment, you should be familiar with the normative stages of development and your child's own. The sudden regression reflected in the drawings protects the child, as he returns to a familiar and "safer" stage. As parents and practitioners, it is our duty to be aware of that phenomenon to be able to treat it in a timely Manner.
Applying very weak pressure
In this case, you must check whether the reason is physiological (e.g. low muscle tone). If this is not the case, you may conclude that weak pressure on the drawing tool suggests lack of confidence and a sense of helplessness coping with the outside world.
Locating elements at the edge of the page
Many children who experience difficulty in social interaction or feel their presence is not meaningful for those around them will locate elements such as houses, flowers or human figures at the edge of the page, leaving large spaces empty at the center.
Overly rigid and stereotypical drawings
When the drawing is clearly not the result of free expression, the child may be experiencing some difficulty. When the child is too careful not to spill over the page, extremely fastidious about the drawing frame, applies so much pressure that the page is torn and mainly loses his temper when failing to complete the task, he may have difficulty coping with unexpected/anxiety situations, particularly performance anxiety and perfectionism issues.
Shading of human figures/organs
When a child chooses to draw an entire face shaded, or alternatively only the genital area, this could suggest sexual abuse and a sense of rejection.
These are only few examples for the diagnostic potential of drawing analysis. There are unique characteristics in drawings by physically sick children, children who have undergone various traumatic experiences, children who have experienced or witness abuse and children scarred by wars, terrorist attacks and other crisis situations.
To give you one example, this is a drawing by a 5½ year-old, that articulates a specific type of fear. Danny's mother suffered from postpartum depression. At the point when this drawing was made, she was not yet treated with psychiatric medication, and her condition was deteriorating by the day. She stopped functioning and would just lie in bed all day. Danny's father described a difficult and complicated reality at home, and made it clear that Danny was aware of the problem and deeply concerned.
Indeed, Danny's drawing level regressed significantly from the moment his mother returned from the hospital. He reverted to the "tadpole" figures that characterized his drawings when two years before.
Such regression is typical of anxious children, and is often accompanied by behavioral regression such as bedwetting, using the pacifier, etc. To them, it is an effective defense mechanism as it allows them to return to an earlier, more familiar and less threatening stage of development.
The figure's dad expression is even more troublesome, as it expresses his inner feelings. In a certain sense, it is also a true-to-life record of the reality he sees around him. Danny adds tears to the figure and presses hard on the marker in this area, indicating the frustration he is experiencing.