Nursing staff assisted Pamela to dress herself after they observed her sitting looking blankly at her clothes. When asked, she knew what she was supposed to do, but it was not until she was handed her clothing that she started to put her clothes on. She continued to have difficulty and displayed a tendency to feel for her clothing with her hands.
Recognising agnosia as a possibility, the occupational therapist set up a test:
- Placing a comb, scissors, pencil, key and fork in front of her, she asked Pamela to name each one. Pamela was unable to name or describe the objects.
- When asked to draw each one, Pamela did not recognise the pencil until it was put into her hand and was unable to produce recognisable sketches.
The occupational therapist concluded that Pamela has an apperceptive visual agnosia as she was unable to perceive the shape and structures of the objects presented to her visually, but recognised them when she held them in her hands.
Page last reviewed: 29 Jul 2021
