A comparison of the diagnostic power of FEATS and Bender-Gestalt test in identifying the problems of students with and without specific learning disorders

Abstract

Purpose: This study compared the predictive power of specific categories of the Formal Elements Art Therapy Scale (FEATS) and Bender-Gestalt test in identifying the problems of students with SLDs. Method: Forty elementary-school students with SLDs were selected from the SLD center of Babol, Iran, and 40 non-SLDs students were chosen from public schools, matched in terms of age, sex, and grade with the group with SLDs. The Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC-IV), the Draw a Person Picking an Apple from a Tree (PPAT) test, four scales of FEATS for drawing scores, and the Bender-Gestalt test were administered. The data were analyzed by independent samples t-test, Pearson's correlation test, and MANOVA. Results: The groups significantly differed on the PPAT test, and the students with SLDs had a lower mean score than the non-SLD students on three components of integration, realism, and perseveration, but not on rotation. On the Bender-Gestalt test, the two groups significantly differed on all four components of distortion, disintegration, perseveration, and rotation. The construct validity was confirmed between SLDs and the components of "integration and disintegration" and "realism and distortion" in the two groups. Moreover, the Bender-Gestalt test had a greater effect than the four components of the FEATS, but the difference was small. Discussion: The use of PPAT with FEATS and Bender-Gestalt test can help diagnose children with SLDs.