Developmental Level Measurement with a StarWave Test for Children , with Yalon ’ s Maturity ( M ) Scale

With the star-wave test, Maturity (M) Scale invented by Yalon and Zion allows you to utilize as evaluation standards for necessary general developmental skill for school education. A low score on the M scale indicates that the learning ability is underdeveloped, and also indicates the existence of developmental delays such as intellectual impairment and learning disability or organ problems. In this study, we apply the star-wave drawing test to 134 young children in Japan and compare the data between 5-year-olds from Japan and 5-year-olds from Israel to see the applicability of the M scale proposed by Yalon and Zion in other countries. In terms of M scale, we conducted a t-test to see if there is any gap among average scores between Japanese 5-year-olds and Israeli 5-year-olds. The significant difference was recognized at the 5% level; it turned out that Japanese 5-year-olds got much higher M scale scores than Israeli 5-year-olds. This fact shows that the M scale reflects the developmental standard for children in Japan. Also, by examining drawing characteristics made by the normal children and handicapped children (intellectually handicapped children, down syndrome children, cerebral palsy), the relationship between the M scale and the intellectual ability or writing motion function of the children was confirmed.


Introduction
Star-wave test is to draw "ocean waves and starry sky" with pencils on the paper with a printed 10.5 × 15.3 cm rectangle frame.Lallemant, AU (1984) mainly proposed handwriting analysis for the screenings as "developmental functional test" for preschool children.After a while, he found out that personality characteristic can be grasped by introducing Jungian psychology, and began to use regardless of the ages.
The drawing analysis consists of 3 handwritten elements, 1) wave movement, 2) shape of star, 3) spatial arrangement.Instead, Lallemant proposed following 5 steps for analysis: c) The symbolic expression of space: 7 kinds of analysis for the vertical direction, 4 kinds of analysis for horizontal analysis.The vertical direction is classified into a.harmony of sky and sea; b. sky's predominance; c. sea's predominance; d.
sky and sea on the horizon; e. the gap between sky and sea; f. emphasized space between sky and sea; g. mixed.the low score reflects underdeveloped learning ability which could mean intellectual impairment, learning disability, as well as the developmental delay or the existence of organ problems.Also, the quality of waves is said to be able to predict the difficulty of academic performance and sociality, especially writing disturbance.As for D scale, the high score means that the child is suffering from stress at least for a certain period of time.The reasons are as follows: 1) physical: mild neuropathic disorder, low muscle tension, clumsy pencil holding etc. 2) environmental: neglect, divorce, bereavement, etc. 3) psychological: a decline in self-esteem, anxiety, perfectionism, etc.
Yalon and Zion retested in a few years to conduct an empirical study to predict the risk of atypical development (developmental disorder), suggesting its possibility.
However, in terms of M scale and D scale, Yalon and Zion advocated as an SWT developmental function, there is almost no research seen whether this method is applicable in other countries or not.

Objective
In this study, we examine the applicability of M scale Yalon and Zion advocated in other countries to be the evaluation standard of general developmental skill necessary for school education by conducting a star-wave test on 5-year-olds and 6-year-olds from Japan to assess the differences in M scale score.
In addition, we examine the differences in M scale and D scale scores between 5-year-olds from Japan and 5-year-olds from Israel.Lastly, we have healthy children get diagnosed at a medical institution, and examine the differences in drawing characteristics and M scale for children with intellectual or physical disabilities.

Analysis Method
Drawing judgment was conducted on 134 subjects by 2 clinical psychologists who did the research on drawing and regularly used drawing test at the clinical site.After they calculated M scale and D scale of individual drawing, they consulted and confirmed the scores at the meeting.Scoring methods for M scale and D scale are as follows.
[Scoring method for M scale] Calculate from 5 items (Table 1).Highest score total 10 points, average score 6 points, and less than 5 points are a low score.
1) Comprehension of task: whether star and wave are drawn or not.If yes, the score is 2 points, 1 point if partially drawn, if not 0 points (same applies as below).
2) Shape of a star: 2 points if drawn, 1 point for round star or circled star.5) The sign of environmental maladjustment (4 items such as discordant space) for above 21 items, 2 points if it is strong or high frequency, and 1 point if it is weak or up to 2 times.

Results
The average scores for M scale and D scale of 5-year-old, 6-year-old from Japan and 5-year-old from Israel are shown in the chart (Table 3).It is assumed that a total of 134 people in Japan are 5-year old children (74), 6-year old (60), a population of Japanese children.We tested Israel's 5-year old child (314) assuming that it is a population of Israeli children.
1) M scale examination of 5-year-old and 6-year-old from Japan.
As for M scale, a t-test was conducted on 5-year-old and 6-year-old from Japan to see the gap between average scores.As a result, the difference was observed at the 1% level, M scale score on the 6-year-old was significantly higher than the 5-year-old (t (132) = 2.582 p < 0.01) (Table 4).
2) M scale examination of 5-year-old from Japan and 5-year-old from Israel.
As for M scale, a t-test was conducted on 5-year-old from Japan and 5-year-old from Israel to see the gap between average scores.As a result, the difference was observed at the 5% level, M scale score on the 5-year-old from Japan was significantly higher than the 5-year-old from Israel (t (73) = 2.136 p < 0.05.) For this test, a t-test was conducted on the sample using the average value of Israel's 5-year-old child described in Yalon (2006) (Table 5).
As for D scale, a t-test was conducted on 5-year-old from Japan and 5-year-old from Israel to see the gap between average scores.As a result, the difference was observed at the 1% level, M scale score on the 5-year-old from Japan was significantly higher than the 5-year-old from Israel (t (73) = 4.529 p < 0.01) (Table 6).

4)
Examination by case studies of healthy children and handicapped children.
The outline of the case used in this research and the descriptive features of M scale score and drawings are as follows: Table 3.The average scores for M scale and D scale of 5-year-old, 6-year-oldfrom Japan and 5-year-old from Israel.

Consideration
1) M scale examination of 5-year-old and 6-year-old from Japan.
In Japan, 6-year-old had significantly higher M scale scores than 5-year-old.
According to the research of SWT Lallemant AU (1984) conducted on 721 subjects from daycare in Germany, it is hard to address disability by the drawings from 3-year-old, but become possible by the drawing from 4-year-old, and finally the test can be completed by leaving some exceptions due to developmental delay or disability once they are 5 years old.
Also, when the function matures and becomes fully compliant with the test, it can also distinguish whether there is an obstacle in the depicted picture.It also states that it will appear more clearly at the age of 6 and 7.As for developmental function research by Kyoko, S., & Hideto, M. (1999), Japanese children start to How to cite this paper: Komatsu, S. (2019).Developmental Level Measurement with a Star-Wave Test for Children, with S. Komatsu DOI: 10.4236/psych.2019.10100897 Psychology a) Drawing classification: a.only points; b. painterly; c. emotional; d. formal; e. symbolic; total 5 types.b) Structure of space: a. harmony; b. apposition; c. regularity; d. disharmony; total 4 types.

3. 4 .
ProcedureSWT was conducted with group method at nursery school A in January 2016, nursery school B in July 2017, nursery school C in February 2018 (about 12 -13 subjects aged 5 and 6 in one room with one tester and assistant).The testers were two clinical psychologists and two psychological assistants.After communicating with subjects "Do you know the stars in the sky?Do you know the waves of the ocean?", they asked the subjects "Please draw the stars and the waves of the ocean".In advance, they asked to fill in their personal information (number, DOB, age with years and months, and special remarks) to use numbers, not names.Only the nursery school has the numbers that identify the individual as an ethical consideration, the researchers have not been informed.Data are kept in a locker for 5 years.
least one well-formed angular star 1-a planned angular form, with malformations due to impaired movement 1placed over waves with good macrostructure 2-stars over waves with stars placed in a row (typical for children at age five) 1-upper part with stars, lower part empty 1-disturbed macrostructure 0-spatial problems: waves over stars, or side by side 0-stars all over the sheet 0-waves all over the sheet 0-stars and waves on one side of the frame only Frame Recognition 1-drawing within the frame, or one deviation 0-two deviations or more outside the frame Qualitative Level1-anxiliary qualities (persistence, ideas, diligence, self-asurance, or any trait that might help coping in school) 0-lack of such auxiliay qualities, or even occurrence of disturbing factors(indolence, giving up,  slackness, dullnes, fantasm, etc.) a) (Healthy child) a girl aged 6 years and 3 months, M scale 10 points.Stars and waves of the sea are drawn well-balanced.There are two types of well-shaped stars at the top; four waves with motion are drawn on the lower half of the paper.b) (Intellectually handicapped child) a boy aged 5 years and 2 months, M scale 0 point.Overall drawn cluttered and dirty; Stars and waves can't be distinguished; protruding from the frame is noticeable.c) (Child with down syndrome) a boy aged 5 years and 3 months, M scale 3 points.You can barely recognize stars and waves, but stroke is very unstable and cluttered.The spatial arrangement between stars and waves is mixed.d) (Child with cerebral palsy, no delay in intellectual ability) a girl aged 6 years and 9 months, M scale 2 points.Overall stroke is very weak and cluttered; the shape of stars and waves are not recognizable.Difficult to define what is drawn.

Table 1 .
The maturity scale.
6) Comprehension of task: whether star and wave are drawn or not.If yes, the score is 2 points, 1 point if partially drawn, if not 0 points (same applies as below).7)Shape of a star: 2 points if drawn, 1 point for round star or circled star.

Table 5 .
t-test by one sanple for M scale on 5-year-old from Japan and 5-year-old from Israel.