Psychological Testing: The Edith Kramer Evaluation

Psychological testing for developmentally disabled children takes many forms. Some test a child’s intellect. Some test a child’s reading comprehension. Some test a child’s motor skills. In addition, exploring a child’s creativity can unlock secrets and provide safe havens. This is where Edith Kramer shines.

Edith Kramer (1916-2014) was a psychoanalyst and an artist from Austria. She predominantly worked with developmentally disabled children and believed creativity was often used as therapy. The theories of Edith Kramer provided what is currently referred to as art therapy.

Kramer, a contemporary of Sigmund Freud, developed a psychological evaluation which explored not only a child’s creativity but their mastery of the materials they used. She believed high-quality media expanded the child’s creative process. This evaluation centered around three main activities: drawing, sculpting, and painting.

Drawing: The materials included a soft graphite pencil, eraser, and 8.5″ x 11″ white bond paper. The child could draw whatever he or she chose. This explored the child’s manual dexterity, perception, and thought processes.

Sculpting: In this activity, the art therapist provided clay and other sculpting materials. Given the nature of clay, this examined a child’s motor skills, coping skills, and feelings toward cleanliness.

Painting: Finally, poster paint of various colors, a tray to apply paint, and brushes of various sizes were given to the child. This tested a child’s perception of color, as well as the enthusiasm a child feels about blending colors.

If we learn anything from this evaluation, we learn that the ultimate creator is God. He gave us the ability to create. When you create, you honor the Lord. For more information on psychological testing, please contact us.