AI-Based Child Drawing Analysis for Rapid Psychosocial Assessment

The AI-powered child drawing analysis model developed by Young Lives Foundation is based on the standardized psychological assessment method known as the "Draw a Person Test." This test evaluates children’s emotional, cognitive, and developmental characteristics through their drawings of human figures.

Within the scope of this test, children's drawings are assessed using specific criteria such as anatomical completeness, proportionality, level of detail, pressure and clarity of lines, and spatial placement on the paper. These indicators are interpreted based on the child's age and developmental stage, providing valuable insights into their psychological well-being. For example, omitted body parts or exaggerated features in the drawings may signal emotional distress or past traumatic experiences.

Our innovative approach combines traditional evaluation criteria of the Draw a Person Test with thousands of hand-analyzed illustrations collected by our psychologists during fieldwork. This extensive dataset has been used to train our AI model, allowing for high-accuracy and reliable results. The AI system enables rapid, objective, and cost-effective assessments, reducing the workload on psychologists and enabling large-scale screenings.

One of the model’s key advantages is its significantly faster analysis speed compared to traditional methods. This makes it highly effective in post-disaster and crisis settings where there is an urgent need for rapid psychological assessments to guide intervention planning. With a continuously expanding and updated dataset, the system enhances its analytical performance over time, improving both accuracy and adaptability.

Moreover, the model is not limited to disaster settings. It can also be implemented in schools, preschools, clinics, and hospitals, making it suitable for both individual psychological assessments and large-scale screenings. Its flexibility and scalability contribute to more accessible and higher-quality mental health services for children.

In conclusion, this AI-supported drawing analysis model represents a powerful intersection of psychological expertise and advanced technology, contributing significantly to public mental health and the emotional well-being of children. Developed by the Young Lives Foundation, this model offers a scalable, evidence-based tool to support preventive and responsive psychological interventions across diverse contexts.