Neuropsychology for Occupational Therapists

by Grieve, June I.

• ISBN13: 9780632033034
• ISBN10: 0632033037
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1993-07-01
• Publisher: Blackwell Science Inc

Summary

Occupational therapists are in a unique position to observe and assess perceptual and cognitive deficits in patients with neurological impairment. The increasing proportion of the elderly in the population, combined with an increase in the number of people surviving traumatic head injuries, has resulted in a need for occupational therapists to develop further their understanding of perception and cognition.
In this book, neuroanatomical and information processing approaches are used to understand perception and cognition. The reader is encouraged to develop an awareness of how perception and cognition affect function in self-care, work and leisure activities, and to predict the effects of impairment.
The book is divided into three parts. The first part introduces the methods of neuropsychology and cognitive neuropsychology, and the role of perception and cognition in daily living. The second part outlines the theoretical background to knowledge of perceptual and cognitive abilities and includes activities to encourage the reader to experience perceptual and cognitive function. The final part defines perceptual and cognitive deficits individually and considers the functional implications. Suggestions are listed for the assessment of each deficit, including the relevant component tests from standardized assessment batteries.
The book is intended for students of occupational therapy as well as clinicians involved in the rehabilitation of patients with neurological impairment.

Table of Contents

Foreword
Preface
Acknowledgements
Theoretical Approaches to Perception and Cognition	p. 1
Introduction to Neuropsychology	p. 3
Perception and Cognition in Human Occupation	p. 14
Perceptual and Cognitive Abilities	p. 23
Visual Perception, Object and Face Recognition	p. 25
Spatial Abilities	p. 36
Action, Planning and Sequencing	p. 46
Attention	p. 58
Memory	p. 71
Assessment of Perception and Cognition in Occupational Therapy	p. 83
Introduction to Assessment	p. 85
Visual Perceptual Deficits and Agnosia	p. 96
Spatial Deficits	p. 105
The Apraxias	p. 114
Disorders of Attention	p. 123
Memory Problems	p. 132
Appendices	p. 145
Appendix 1 Blood Supply to the Cerebral Cortex	p. 147
Appendix 2 Summary of the Individual Tests in the Standardized Assessment Batteries	p. 150
Appendix 3 Summary of Common Deficits and Lesion Sites	p. 154
Glossary	p. 155
Index	p. 161
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