How Can I Remember the Progression of Gesell Figures?

Discussion Observing children in the office setting can provide a wealth of information about the skills, development, health and family. While the office setting may have some limitations, much can be gleaned. For example, the picture above or drawings and writing on a whiteboard in the room can offer lots of possibilities for interacting with the child and also for commenting to the parents about the child’s developmental abilities. Arnold Gesell, MD, PhD. was a developmental pediatrician who studied and codified how children develop and mature over time. As part of his work, he noticed when certain figures are able to be drawn by children and that this had a consistent developmental progression. These figures are often referred to as Gesell figures. Understanding how children develop and those “milestones” form the basis of screenings, evaluations and interventions to help children and families. Learning Point Young children are interested in drawing and writing early on, and each figure they learn to draw builds upon their previous skills. Children need opportunities to practice the figures before one can be perfected. For example, children will learn to scribble around 18 months of age. They then will make continuous circle-like drawings before being able to stop the circle once the continuous line is enclosed. Similarly, children will learn to draw a line when about two years old but orienting more than one line, and especially crossing lines, is mor...
Source: PediatricEducation.org - Category: Pediatrics Authors: Tags: Uncategorized Source Type: news