Can you imagine not being able to recognize the faces of your closest friends and family if they changed their hairstyle, wore glasses, or perhaps put on a hat?Prosopagnosia is a severe face recognition deficit which is thought to impact two percent of the population. It can be found among children on the autism spectrum as well as others, and yet little has been done to inform parents, educators and other professionals on how to effectively support those with a facial recognition deficit. Nancy L. Mindick explains what prosopagnosia is and how its symptoms present themselves in children, and offers a bounty of ideas for more effectively including the child in family, school, and community activities.The author - a teacher who has prosopagnosia herself - offers specific, practical information for parents, teachers, child psychologists, and anyone wishing to support the learning of a prosopagnosic child
Foreword by Glenn Alperin. Introduction.; 1. The World of Prosopagnosia: Kinds and Causes.; 2. Seeing Faces.; 3. Some of the Benefits which the Growing Child Gains by Recognizing Faces.; 4. Faces, Math, and Motion: The Clustering of Talent and Impairment Areas.; 5. Tips for Recognizing Non-recognition.; 6. How Prosopagnosics Recognize.; 7. Tips for Supporting the Prosopagnosic Child in Elementary School.; 8. The Older Child and Teen in School.; 9. Building Coalitions of Parents and Teachers.; 10. A Parent's Guide to Helping the Prosopagnosic Child to Thrive Socially.; 11. Disclosure of Prosopagnosia.; 12. Facial Expressions and Prosopagnosia.; 13. Diagnosis of Prosopagnosia for School-aged Children.; 14. Summary: Looking Toward the Future. Afterword. Appendix: Theories of Development. Glossary. Acknowledgments. Bibliography. Index.
Educator Nancy L. Mindick, who also suffers from prosopagnosia, attempts to fill an information hole with her important book, Understanding Facial Recognition Difficulties in Children... As one who suffers from the disorder she's writing about, Mindick has obvious insight into the emotions that go along with the condition and is brave enough to use her own history as a guide in her writing... It's also evident that Mindick has spent countless hours studying her condition. She offers lucid explanations of the science behind face blindness and explores the differences between developmental prosopagnosia, which starts in childhood, and situational, which occurs as a result of brain injury or illness. Perhaps most importantly, she encourages celebrating the individual talents and personal successes of any person learning to live with prosopagnosia. People suffering from its effects will welcome this accessible, concise, practical book.
