ERIC Number: EJ1088293
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2016-Feb
Pages: 9
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0162-3257
EISSN: N/A
Brief Report: Imaginative Drawing in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Learning Disabilities
Allen, Melissa L.; Craig, Eleanore
Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, v46 n2 p704-712 Feb 2016
Here we examine imaginative drawing abilities in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and learning disabilities (LD) under several conditions: spontaneous production, with use of a template, and combining two real entities to form an "unreal" entity. Sixteen children in each group, matched on mental and chronological age, were asked to draw a number of "impossible" pictures of humans and dogs. Children with ASD were impaired in spontaneous drawings and included fewer impossible features than children with LD, but there was no difference when a template was provided. An autism-specific deficit was revealed in the task involving combining entities. Results suggest that children with ASD do not have a general imaginative deficit; impairment is instead related to planning demands.
Descriptors: Pervasive Developmental Disorders, Autism, Freehand Drawing, Imagination, Children, Learning Disabilities, Matched Groups, Cognitive Ability, Mental Age, Comparative Analysis, Task Analysis, Creative Thinking
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A