Sven Mathijssen spoke about human figure drawings and their relationship to giftedness.
Human figure drawings and giftedness: What do we know?
Human figure drawings have been studied in relation to intelligence, and social and emotional development for about a century. Their validity and usefulness have been a topic of debate ever since, due to contradictory findings in the literature. Their value as a potential screening tool that might serve the identification process of talents and needs of children with high abilities has not been studied thoroughly yet. However, recent studies have provided a proof of concept for this purpose. This presentation highlights what we know and what can we do with human figure drawings in relation to identification of talents and needs.
Sven Mathijssen is the vice program director of the Radboud International Training on High Ability (RITHA) and editor in chief of the journal ‘Talent’, a Dutch popular-scientific journal about giftedness.