RESUMO
Introduction: For children, drawing development has 5 stages and expressive drawing has 3 stages. Objective: To evaluate the effect of chronic ill health on children’s drawing development Method: A cross-sectional observational study was done on 2 groups of hospitalized children with and without chronic illness. Children in each group were subdivided into 5 different age groups viz. 3-4 years, 5-7 years, 8-9 years, 10-11 years and 12-14 years. Results: Eighty eight hospitalized children took part in the study, 48 having acute illness and 40 having chronic illness. Children with chronic illness in the 12–14 year age group had significantly more advanced drawing development compared to children with acute illness (P<0.05). Conclusion: Chronically ill hospitalized children in the adolescent age group had more advanced drawing development.