ABSTRACT
Burns and Kaufman direct administrators to ask the child examinee to draw the members of his or her family as whole people, rather than as cartoons or stick people. In the Kinetic Family Drawing test, the subject is asked to draw each member of his or her family engaged in some form of activity. The implements depicted as being used by the family members in their activities project significant information about the examinee being tested. Cooking implements depicted in the KFD test, particularly if used by the mother, are seen in terms of the nurture received from the mother figure. Location of the various family members on the page is significant. Absence of a particular feature must always be considered as meaningful. The family drawing is of particular importance in custody issues. The interpretation stated earlier for adults who draw their family of origin instead of their nuclear family is reemphasized when these drawings occur during custody evaluations.
