Abstract

LIGEIRO, Jeferson Luís  and  BARRERA, Sylvia Domingos. Comparative analysis of human figure design in children diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: an exploratory study. Rev. psicopedag. [online]. 2019, vol.36, n.110, pp.183-195. ISSN 0103-8486.

ADHD is considered a neurodevelopmental disorder, which is manifested by symptoms of inattention, agitation and impulsivity that occur at high frequency and intensity. Due to the lack of a biological marker, diagnosis is usually made through behavioral scales answered by family members and/or teachers, which can be accompanied by (neuro)psychological tests, as well as observation of child behavior. The Human Figure Drawing test (HFD) is an instrument widely used by psychologists aiming to analyze cognitive aspects and personality elements. Thus, through a comparison of performance in this test, between children diagnosed and undiagnosed with the disorder, this study aimed to identify possible traits indicating ADHD in the human figure design. The participants were 20 children, students from the elementary education separated into Clinical Group (10 children diagnosed with ADHD), and Control Group (10 children with age, sex, education and socioeconomic level equivalent, but without diagnosis of ADHD). After the participants were submitted to HFD, comparative analyzes of the level of cognitive maturity and emotional indicators, as well as general aspects of the drawings (size, trait), were performed. The results suggest a lower performance of ADHD patients regarding cognitive maturity, as well as greater presence of emotional indicators and fine motor coordination problems in the Clinical Group, although without reaching statistical significance. We suggest the need to expand the sample in order to obtain more conclusive results regarding the possibility of using HFD as an auxiliary tool in the diagnosis of ADHD.

Keywords : Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder; Human Figure Drawing; Diagnosis.

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