Rotation of a complex figure by children

Rotated drawings have been considered 'normal' in very young children (up until age 7), but a sign of brain damage in older children and adults. We report two older children (10.8 and 8.10 years) who spontaneously rotated the Rey complex figure by 90°during copy and recall. However, extensive testing revealed no further abnormalities associated with perceptual or developmental dysmaturations. We conclude that the misorientation of drawings is a developmental phenomenon which extends to a higher age than was previously expected and can occur in 'normal' older children.