FREE ESSAY ON DRAW-A-MAN

DRAW-A-MAN

Using the Draw-A-Man Test as a Personal Neglect Test
The purpose of this study was to determine the validity of a Draw-A-Man test in measuring
personal neglect in patients with a stroke affecting the right side of the brain.
The Draw-A-Man test was administered to 51 individuals with a right CVA and 110
age-matched individuals without any brain insult. Individuals who displayed homogeneous
bilateral representation of body parts were considered not to have personal neglect and
those showing unilateral body parts were administered to the participants with right CVA
to validate the Draw-A-Man test.
Personal neglect is a disorder of body scheme. It is seen more often in individuals with
a right CVA than in people with left CVA. Individuals with severe personal neglect are
usually unaware of the left side of their body, or could be unable to recognize that
their numb left extremities exist. People with mild personal neglect may be aware of
their left extremities but still may hardly use them and refer to them as objects even if
they are not motor impaired.
The hypothesis of this Draw-A-Man test that the author of this article, Mei-Jen Chen-Sea,
had established was that "the type of man drawn could reflect the level of functional
performance and that persons with personal neglect would be less independent with ADL
performance than those without personal neglect."
These participants had to meet the following criteria: a) post-onset 2-6 months, b)
participated in rehabilitation program, C) independent in self-care prior to stroke, D)
able to follow directions, E) adjusted to medication, F) right hand dominant. 
Fifty-one people completed these consent forms, of which 38 were men. The mean age was
59.41+-8.66 years and the mean duration post onset was 109.31+-62.26 days. 25 individuals
had had hemorrhage CVA's and 26 had had infarctions.
Of the normal participants without CVA's, which equaled 110 individuals, 70% were men.
The mean age was 56.79+-10.98 years.
Out of the 51 participants with cerebrovascular accidents, 38 were considered without
personal neglect. This therefore proved that the Draw-A-Man test can discriminate those
with or without personal neglect within a group of right brain stroke victims. 
With a Pearson chi-square test, it showed no difference in gender distribution between
the group with personal neglect and the group without neglect. The group with personal
neglect had severe deficits in somatosensory, motor and muscle strength.
Using the Klein Bell Activities of Daily Living (ADL) Scale, the group with personal
neglect displayed lower scores in each ADL category than the group without personal
neglect. The scores for this Scale are 0-103 for dressing, 0-46 for elimination, 0-68 for
mobility, 0-56 for bathing, 0-30 for eating, and 0-10 for emergency phone communication.
This is a very precise chart since it documents the slightest change in their
performance.
The conclusion of this overwhelming test is that since the group without personal neglect
were rated with having intact body scheme proves that the Draw-A-Man test can
discriminate individuals with personal neglect in terms of a drawn man. For visual
evidence and more detail of this conclusion, see following pages for charts.