Does anyone know what can children's art tell us about a child's pyschological state?
823369
Obvious stuff.  Don't Over interperate.  If s/he's drawing about guns and knives stabbing and shooting people, either s/he's exposed to the real thing or too much adult TV.  If s/he's drawing explicit sex acts, either s/he's exposed to the real thing or too much adult TV.  FInd out which and treat accordingly.\n\nBut trying to interperate rainbows and trees and cars and trains in a Freudian way is not going to get you anywhere.
80536
Many books and entire college courses are devoted to the topic, so I do not believe that I am going to touch much in the short space of this forum.\n\nFrom the time period of the great cave paintings, art has had the ability to represent the common place to render it special.  Art includes both he visual arts and the performing arts and as such can evoke strong emotional responses in the human mind.\nArt “touches” us as living beings.\nWhether to record the label of a can of soup or preserve the beauty of Venus or remind us that “Loose Lips Sink Ships” or to promote the purchase of “War Bonds” art is part of the record and the driving force of culture.
863971
Doodles can certainly reveal something of a person’s mental state, but it should be noted that no graphologist or psychologist would use them as the sole indicator. A single isolated doodle would also have limited value. Looking at a collection of various doodles would offer the most helpful insight, especially when coupled with other information, such as handwriting analysis, dream interpretation and psychological assessment. \n\nIt must also be considered whether the inspiration for a doodle is internal or external. Is the artist expressing concern with a current situation or experience (a person causing difficulties, something on TV, or a movie they have seen) or is it a reflection of an internal state (their personality, an emotional state or conflict)? \n\nDo all shapes have meaning? \nSome shapes have a meaning that is inherent – the most basic shapes, such as circle, sun, and square might be among these – and sometimes properties, such as aggression, repetition, fluidity or neatness – will naturally carry significance in the interpretation. \n\ni wouldnt take it to heat i draw boxes like your self and faces!!!!
466309
I would review my text books on the differences between the mental capacity of the two age groups.  For example, children of 5 to 6 years old tend to be more concrete in their thinking.  They have less ability to think in abstract ways and lesson plans should reflect these changes.\n\nI found a site that provides ideas of lesson plans for various age groups:\n\nhttp://www.edhelper.com/\n\nHere is a site that is a serach engine for Teachers, lesson plans and other data is available:\n\nhttp://www.lessonplanet.com/?fromgoogle=CbAG1phraselesson_plans&gclid=CN70k7v0j4QCFQe8SgodqlEZxA\n\nRemember that children are in the Pre-Operational Stage of thinking until about 7 years old which would include Second Grade.\n\nPre-operational Stage\n\n2-7 years At the age of 2 children have usually developed their ability to express themselves using language. This means that they have developed some form of Symbolic Representation. This is a key feature of this stage of development. Children do not only develop language as symbolic representation, they also develop other skills such as drawing, dance, modelling, number and music. Symbolic function develops through 4 stages:\n\n1. Deferred imitation\n\n2. Verbal evocation\n\n3. Symbolic or make believe play\n\n4. Symbolic drawings\n\nAt around 7 to 12 years of age, children DO start to think in more logical terms, so lesson plans should take into consideration the children who may be learning in either of these stages.\n\nConcrete Operations Stage — 7-12 years\n\nAgain, children make another leap as they begin to become less egocentric and start to understand and use new concepts. They can now classify things into categories, deal with numbers, take all aspects of a situation into account and understand reversibility. Children become much better at seeing the world from another person’s angle and this has implications for the development of moral behaviour. Children also develop CONSERVATION during this stage. This is the ability to understand how two equal quantities of the same matter remain equal despite changes in their appearance. Piaget tested for this using balls of clay. He rolled one ball of clay into a sausage and left the other as a ball. Children below the concrete operations stage would be unable to understand that the quantities remain equal, despite the change in appearance.\n\nChildren develop the ability to conserve the different dimensions at different times. At 6-7, they learn to conserve mass, or substance; at the age of 9-10 they can conserve weight; and by the age of 12, volume.\n\nMore Data Here:\n\nhttp://www.northern.ac.uk/NCMaterials/psychology/lifespan%20folder/Cognitivethinking.htm
967713
All the answers so far are pretty gloomy but there is a grain of truth in them. For if a child psycholgist became an adult losing all contacts with childhood he will soon go out of practice.This he can hardly affford to do.It is professionally necessary for him to be in tune with the psychology of children. This can be done only if he remains in tune with children. Outwardly it may appear that the adult psychologist is indulging in child-like fancies.Unless he does or feigns to do he cannot obtain the confidence of the child patients. They would withdraw into themseles and just clamp us.Three obstinacies are beyond correction-child,woman and king. The kings are no more leaving only two in the field of which    child obstinaccy is a hard nut to crack except with a toy hammer. Unless the child psychologist keeps his knowledge of handling it throughout he may even strike his head and yet the child would not open up.So thank god and pray to him(if you are abeliever) that the child psychologist should continue to remain a child throughout his life Let the  dwarf remain a midget  throughout.. Then and then only he can talk in prattle with children which is the only language they understand, draw out their fears and remove them.
573201
Sensory details? Imagery?
1107124
It is often very, very hard to tell, the signs vary greatly and they can be very, very subtle and are regularly missed. Bit like asking ‘how can I tell if I am sick’. Well meaning people with give you a loooong list that you can read through and by the time you get to the end you are convinced you have 27 different diseases, including plague.\n\nMy eldest child is gifted (above 99.5% of population at age). It was not detected by us (her parents) or by her school (despite a lengthy list of signs and training all teachers are given to detect the gifted). Fortunately she entered a regional OC (Opportunity Class) for talented and gifted students in year 5/6 on the strength of a test she did, so things worked out OK for her.\n\nInterestingly enough between 20-25% of the students in her OC class originally came from a variety of schools who were glad to see the back of them, because they could not deal with them, thinking they had behavioral problems (not super high IQ), even going as far as suggesting to a parent their child had ADHD in a formal high level meeting.\n\nIf your child is an extrovert personality and is around age 7-8 I would get them IQ tested, however if they are an introvert it makes properly plumbing the depths of them a good deal harder unless the examiner can gain deep rapport with the child.\n\nAnyway our youngest child now seems to be showing some 'odd' signs of giftedness, but they are totally different signs than our first child. Detecting true giftedness, not just simple academic ability, is so VERY hard to pin down.
1112062
This is very challenging, indeed!   Time to bring on your "big guns" of creativity...\n\nAct, but do not REACT.\n\nThe first thing that really stands out to me, is that he is really frustrated and feels unable to communicate effectively...and this is where you can really be the hero for him: to show him by your example how far you will go to continue communicating lovingly when you are frustrated.  I know it's tough, and he really needs you to be "bigger" in heart & wisdom than he is.\n\nI imagine that trying to verbally communicate with your son when he is angry and frustrated is nearly impossible.  But I do think that when he is calm, you and he can sit down together to problem solve this together and make a simple plan.  You might be surpised how distressing this anger stuff is to him, as well as be ignited by his brilliance of the ideas that you he would come up with.  But you already know that...;-] Either way, these conversations, however brief the interaction, will lay the groundwork -- on their own -- for the very ideas that he needs to draw from when he's so irrate. \n\n  Remember that often boys' verbal skills develop much slower than girls, biologicaly speaking.  (Do you remember this when you were his age?) My son couldn't speak understandably until he was 5; now an adult, he's an excellent & sensitive communicator.  \n\nSecondly, be very careful about falling into the trap of diagnosis and labels...They're rather like "pin the tail on the donkey", with lots of misses in the dark! While your main intention is to be a responsible and wise, loving dad, who doesn't miss anything crucial, I sense this could easily backfire on you, especially when you are asking him about symptoms of psychosis.  (Beware of projections -- not helpful.) .  Too much information for a 4 year old child who's already stressed.   Toss out the spanking right along with that, because that's really stressing him.  He wonders why you get to hit, and he doesn't. \n\nI never met a child who didn't respond to love, especially from his Big Buddy!\n\nOn the other hand, it is not loving to allow him to hurt you or anyone else.  Thrashing his own room, however, might be another matter...it's his stuff.  The basic element of developing his agression (competition, motivation, hutszpah! but not meanness) is normal, and You can be a responsible loving parent by not repessing his natural (vital, life force) agression and guiding or directing him in how to express his frustrations, safely.  I would clear his room of anything dangerous or hard, limit him to that kind of upset in his own room -- not agression towards anyone -- but allowing him a safe place and manner to vent his feelings until he is ready to rejoin the family.  He's not in his room for punishment, just for safety, just like you guys talked about it.\n\nNonetheless, I can well imagine this does not happen only at home, so you'll need to come up with a similar plan at Grandma's and the grocery store, etc. Remember the key here is not to stop but to guide him.  How do I know he's not the "Child from Hell"?  Because as soon as he calms down (on his own) he WANTS to return to a connected, loving state. And just like anything else thus far, he is looking to you for an answer to something that as yet seems just too big for himself to deal with.  \n\nUltimately, you both will not need him to rip up his room, because together, you will teach each other how to breathe, calm down in the moment, and communicate. You will be mastering this yourself, and teaching him this at every stage of his development.\n\nRight now, this is a stage (tough as it may be), which he will grow out of with your patient and brave guidance...and of course, Love.\n\nLove and Light to you all!\n\nP.S.> IF a diagnosis alone must be considered, I would first look at Asperger's or some other form of Autism, which tends to be
735707
I have an autistic cousin, and ive learned that they love to touch and feel things. So you could do an activity where they have lots of varying feels like cotton, different types of plastics cereals. They could make snowman from different colored puffballs. They can string cheerios and eat them. They can make bird feeders. Christmas Trees. There is so much. The ideas really are endless
666719
Well, you can start by enrolling her in some classes for young people. As she goes through school encourage her to take the classes they offer there. If you see that she continues to enjoy art, she can have a chance at art school. Until then, a website is good but there is a chance of others trying to claim her artwork. Have her enter local art shows and fairs. She'll see what it's like to do that and it will possibly encourage her to do more.
1165521
I've read about indigo child in "intisari" magazine in Indonesia.. And in fact, my cousin, a college student majoring in communication has once interviewed an indigo child. It is said that if an indigo child is undergoing an aura photoshoot, it will show indigo color around his/her body.\n\nIndigo children have an extrordinary intelligence, which can be some kind of weird.\nExample, the indigo child my cousin interviewed can know what is the content of the book without even opening the book! (He never read the book before)\nSome other indigo children are able to speak several languages without even being taught.\n\nThat's all I can provide. Cheers. ;)
1011633
this is not odd at all, many kids have experienced this and lately even many more.\n\nit's obvious to me that the little girl you describe is an INDIGO CHILD.\nhttp://www.theindigoevolution.com/index.html\n\nor even a CRYSTAL CHILD\nhttp://www.thecrystalchildren.com/crystal.html\n\nthese children can talk to angels or to their kind spirit guides \n\nwhich in both cases is great! means the little girl is very evolved and helpful to the planet. there are many now.\n\ntell the mother not to feed this situation with fear and narrowmindess but to look into the terms indigo, or crystal children.\n\nhope it helps!\n\n----------------\n\n"Most children have the ability to see beyond physical reality, especially in infancy. It all goes to conscious awareness on different level. \n\nIt's interesting to watch an infant's eyes as they follow something/somene in the room that is not physically seen by anyone else. Infants often laugh and respond to whatever they are seeing which may be the spirit of the person who guided their soul into physical reality and is familiar. \n\nYoung children often have imaginary play friends - especially when there is no one around to physically play with. These 'imaginary friends' actually communicate with the child. Generally the imaginary friend/friends are harmless and the interaction ends as they child's physical consciousness slows down and gradually creates a pattern of returning to the physical body and staying at a lower level of frequency in order to function/perform their daily tasks in 3D. The older you get - the more grounded you have to be. \n\nIf the young child - generally below the age of 5 - is having fun with the imaginary friend they are attracting - then things are positive. If the child is apprenhensive or displays fear - professional help may be needed for the child. "
385750
I did one in Year 6 in Australia.  The test was done by a psychologist, and there wasn't anything I could study for.  I remember there being some card with pictures on them that I had to put in order and tell a coherent story about.  There was some word association, and some inkblots.  Mostly, though, we talked, and he tried to get answers out of me.  Lots of looking at pictures, and him saying 'what do you see there?  what do you tihnk they're doing?'
277256
The best info, to me, come from the french researcher Piaget.  He used is own children to study the development of a child, on many aspect (awareness, feeding, sensitivity, biological).  Here is a website with all the main researcher links. You cannot have a better answer.\nhttp://www2.yk.psu.edu/~mer7/theorists.htm
265099
A lot of early childhood development is still going off of the workds of Piaget, Vigogosty, Freud, Skinner, and Maslow.  \n\nWhat specifically are you looking for?  This is a very broad question.
211381
Work with a professional to help her develop language skills.  No matter how good your intentions, you can't do it on your own.\n\nBeyond that, try to find non-verbal means of expression like drawing or painting.  Kids with language delays can become frustrated when they have something to say but can't say it.  Be creative and try to tell stories with her through painting, clay, or anything else she enjoys.  She's not going to be like everyone else, at least in the early years, so don't expect her to be.  Try to find things she enjoys and develop these as much as possible.\n\nI also think depending on the severity of the delays it might be, as the first poster suggested, a good idea to teach her sign language (and of course learn it yourself, too).  Most kids will speech delays catch up eventually, but sign language may provide a way for her to express herself in the interim.
949370
I would start with the basics, counting to 10, recognizing colors and some shapes, etc.  Also how to use crayons and simple things like that.  They will learn the rest.  Also, you may want to make sure the child is okay with sharing, authority figures besides the parents, etc.