ARCARO, N. T., HERZBERG, E. e TRINCA, W. (1999) – O psicodiagnóstico infantil no atendimento psicológico a populações carentes [Children psychodiagnosis in the psychological care of needy communities]. Revista Iberoamericana de Diagnóstico y Evaluación Psicológica. Salamanca (Espanha), 1 (1): 37-52.
The objective of this study was to develop new attending strategies for the underprivileged. The study compared two distinct approaches of psychological assessment using a 7 year-old boy as the subject. The two assessments applied consisted of the Traditional one and an evaluation involving the Drawing-and-Story Procedure. The first (the Traditional), more time consuming and detailed, consisted of the administration of several psychological techniques. It also entailed specific conditions regarding the setting (an office), the materials and required a professional specialized in psychological testing. The second evaluation was more concise and consisted of merely an interview with the mother and two sessions with the subject to administer the Drawing-and-Story Procedure. Unlike the first, it required only simple and inexpensive materials and was conducted more casually at the family’s own surroundings. This second evaluation can be conducted by a professional with little experience in the technique, with the exception regarding the interpretation of the protocol. Results showed that psychodiagnosis with the Drawing-and-Story Procedure coincided with the main points of the Traditional evaluation. Therefore, the possibility of applying this concise method on the needy population was corroborated.