Primary attention is given to the drawings of the normal child, starting with the earliest scrawls and drawings through the first representational drawings and the evolving human figure up to the sixth year of human life. The child's normal development is described, including the many normal deviations and immaturities often present. The use of drawings as diagnostic aids for the unusual or deviant is treated. Characteristics of drawings are depicted for the mentally handicapped, cerebral palsied, children with cerebral dysfunction, communication disorders including sensorineural hearing loss and language disorders, and diverse personality disorders. Special attention is given to the child's representation of his family as this is seen to be particularly illuminating of the emotional life. Numerous full-scale productions of children's drawings and interpretations illustrate and help to define characteristics described in the text. (Author/WW)