Agnosia

Question 1

Agnosia

Answer 1

inability to recognize incoming information

**Not attributable to a primary sensory deficit, change in mental status, or attentional impairment

Question 2

2 Basic Principles of Evaluation

Answer 2

1. Rule out alternative explanations (check sensation, language, alertness, etc, first).
2. Document the nature of the deficit by using a variety of tasks/stimuli.

Question 3

visual agnosia

Answer 3

Inability to recognize visual stimuli despite having intact primary visual sense (e.g., acuity, visual fields, etc)

Question 4

Prosopagnosia

Answer 4

Inability to recognize faces despite intact intellect and recognition of other visual stimuli

Question 5

Simultagnosia

Answer 5

Inability to see more than one thing or more than one aspect of an object at a time, even though individual details may be correctly perceived

Question 6

Color agnosia

Answer 6

Inability to recognize color even though the eyes are capable of distinguishing them; inability to associate objects with colors

Question 7

Pure alexia

Answer 7

Inability to read a word (agnosia for words)

Client is unable to interpret written words when reading, but is able to comprehend when words are read aloud by someone else.

Question 8

Figure ground discrimination

Answer 8

inability to distinguish objects/figures in foreground from background

Question 9

Depth perception

Answer 9

Ability to determine if objects in the environment are near or far relative to each other & the self

Question 10

Visual closure

Answer 10

Inability to determine a final percept without seeing the entire object/shape

Question 11

Form constancy deficit

Answer 11

inability to recognize subtle variations and/or changes in form (size variation, positional change)

Question 12

Position in space deficit

Answer 12

difficulty using concepts related to various positions

• Up/down
• In/out
• In front of/behind
• Before/after

Question 13

Vertical orientation

Answer 13

distorted perception of the upright position in relation to the self and/or environment

Question 14

Constructional apraxia

Answer 14

Inability or difficulty to build, assemble, or draw object

Question 15

Visuospatial R/L discrimination

Answer 15

Ability to accurately use concepts of right & left at near or far distance

Question 16

Body schema R/L discrimination

Answer 16

Ability to accurately use concepts of right & left on one’s own body

Question 17

Autopagnosia

Answer 17

Inability to recognize one’s body part and their relationship to each other

Question 18

Topographical disorientation

Answer 18

difficulty comprehending the relationship of 1 location to another ~ finding one’s way in space; due in part to LANDMARK or ENVIRONMENTAL AGNOSIA
knowing how to get somewhere

Question 19

Somatosensory agnosia (tactile agnosia and/or astereognosis)

Answer 19

Inability to recognize object by touch despite having intact tactile, thermal, and proprioceptive functions

Question 20

Auditory agnosia

Answer 20

Inability to recognize sounds (word and nonword sounds) despite intact hearing

Question 21

Anosognosia

Answer 21

Inability to recognize the extent of one’s deficits – not aware of deficits

Question 22

general guidelines for intervention

Answer 22

1. awareness of the deficit
2. compensate with alternate modalities
3. teach critical thinking
4. organizational strategies
5. safety