Normative Study of Art by Children on Autism Spectrum Age 2-14 Years: A Pilot Study
Graduation Date
Spring 2012
Document Type
Master's Thesis
Document Form
Degree Name
Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy
Degree Granting Institution
Notre Dame de Namur University
Program Name
Art Therapy
Dean
John Lemmon, PhD
First Reader
Richard Carolan, EdD, ATR-BC
Second Reader
Gwen Sanders, MFT, ART-BC
Abstract
When applying a modified Formal Elements Art Therapy Scale as an assessment for the drawings of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), there will be distinct patterns found in the art of children with autism as compared to data on a “normal” population. This pilot study asked 18 participants with ASD, age 2 to 14 years old, to complete both a “free drawing” and a “draw a person”. Ten of these participants created strictly scribble drawings and 8 created pictorial drawings which were rated according to the FEATS. Results indicate that children with ASD trend toward lower scores on the level of integration of image and the use of color in the drawings when compared to a provisional normative group.