Draw A Person Test






















Skipper is four!
























Because Skipper is four, she has a "well-child" check-up  next week. Because Skipper is a bit eccentric AND not very compliant, I am anticipating that the appointment will not run as smoothly as Duchess's appointments always have. However, I realized something last week that may come up at the appointment, and that probably deserved some contemplation: Skipper, while producing massive quantities of "art" at preschool and home, never draws any representational pictures. At all. This is the kind of thing she produces:
















And this is a drawing from 2008 by Duchess, at age 3.5, with pretty standard developmental milestones included. Notice that the person has body parts.
















This is a drawing by Skipper, from this week, with pretty standard Skipper details. She likes to do a randomish line scribble, and then meticulously color it in.


















Sometimes after the picture is complete, she'll SAY it's a picture of something, but it's very clear that she never actually sets out to represent something. I really like some of the stuff she produces, but I would also like to see her try to draw a person. Or ANYTHING specific.

I've been waffling over whether or not this is something I should worry about. I'm 99% confident that it's not a developmental issue. Nobody who can color that carefully has motor coordination issues, and Skipper is a keen observer; she knows what things look like. It seems like a straightforward case of Skipper refusing do something at which she is likely to fail to perform perfectly.* That's not going to make me cringe less next week when the doctor asks Skipper to draw a person.

But, you know, this is Skipper, and this is her life. There aren't any drawings of people in it, but that's okay. Just now I looked outside to check on her ("I'm going to go sit in the sun and read a book!" she announced before going out) and this is what I saw. She's sitting there "reading" the book out loud - "and then the paleontologists found a HUUUUUUUUGE fossil head!" - and she's totally happy.

























* I completely understand that impulse. However, in Skipper, the impulse meets her really impressive power of refusal, and mutates into a massive Wall of No that I fear might get in the way of her emotional and intellectual growth...

Comments

tiffky doofky said…
Two things: Skipper's art is pretty incredible and that picture of her reading outside is my new blueprint for my summer plans.
Anonymous said…
Skipper is an artist. No developmental concerns here. Now if only E would actually learn the alphabet and not just sing the song... Aren't kids totally bizarre?
cm

Popular Posts