The present study explored the characteristics and family perceptions in mothers of exceptional children. For this purpose. 200 random sample was selected and tested by Kinetic Family Drawing. Especially, analysis was done in terms of the proportion of action, style, dynamic, figure, and symbol.
The major findings were as the following: As a whole, participants perceived their husbands to have low interest in their children. More specifically, 42.6% of the participants felt a lot of pressure in the area of division of labor in household. 17.3% of the participants also experienced a pressure to be with their children all day long. Considering the fact that encapsulation style was the most frequent style (58. 6%). there appears to be little interaction between the father and the children, and reflecting anxious and autistic state by the participants.
The fact that 60% of the drawings omitted the body shape suggested that participants had negative emotions towards their husbands and children and also had a low self-esteem. In part, this tendency was reflected by the fact that 22.4% of the participants did not include
their husbands in their drawings. Almost half (52.5%) of the participants perceived their children as helpless and powerless. In addition, a similar proportion of the participants (51.3%) draw their children next to them, reflecting their children as the most intimate
one. Another 28% of the participants located their children at either lower left or lower right, suggesting their depression, denial. or rejection. Finally, the present findings were discussed, and implications for future studies are suggested.