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Prosopagnosia Symptom Checklist


In a recent study, we asked 50 adults with prosopagnosia to complete questionnaires and take part in interviews about their experiences of prosopagnosia. We also considered the viewpoints of their significant others, and those of parents who have children with prosopagnosia. Following the interviews, we were able to identify a number of hallmark symptoms that may be used to "spot" the condition. When the participants with prosopagnosia were asked to look back on their childhood experiences with the condition, most stated that they had no idea that they had face recognition difficulties. However, they reported a number of hallmark behaviours that could have been used by others to spot the condition. We summarise these symptoms, for adults and children, in the table below. We anticipate that these symptom lists can be used as a tool for family members, guardians, and non-expert caregivers and professionals (e.g. SENCOs, teachers, educational psychologists) to identify people who may have prosopagnosia. The symptoms may be used as a checklist for this purpose, and can be used to recommend that an adult or child undergoes a more formal, objective assessment. If you would like to register your details on our website, we may be able to assist you with this and offer participation in our research programmes. Please note that we do not recommend any minimum number of symptoms that should be observed to meet a "criteria" for prosopagnosia. If any number of these symptoms are spotted in an adult or child, you may like to recommend them for further assessment.

Hallmark Symptoms of Prosopagnosia - Download PDF

The full citation of our research paper is (you can read it in full here):

Bennetts, R.J., & Bate, S. (2018). Identifying Hallmark Symptoms of Developmental Prosopagnosia for Non-Experts. Scientific Reports.

We would be delighted to hear of any instances where this checklist has been of use, particularly in educational, clinical or other occupational settings. To provide feedback on the checklist, or for any additional support, please contact us here.