{"id":15006,"date":"2025-10-20T14:24:00","date_gmt":"2025-10-20T14:24:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/8d.nl\/professor-ineke-van-der-ham-on-recognition-and-treatment-of-topographical-disorientation-disorder-atopia\/"},"modified":"2025-10-21T13:35:59","modified_gmt":"2025-10-21T13:35:59","slug":"professor-ineke-van-der-ham-on-recognition-and-treatment-of-topographical-disorientation-disorder-atopia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/8d.nl\/en\/professor-ineke-van-der-ham-on-recognition-and-treatment-of-topographical-disorientation-disorder-atopia\/","title":{"rendered":"Professor Ineke van der Ham on recognition and treatment of topographical disorientation disorder Atopia"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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In 2009, researchers discovered that some people are born with a disorientation disorder. Those affected lack the ability to form a mental map of their surroundings. While most of us can find our way back without much thought, they can only perceive what is directly in front of them. \u201cA severely reduced sense of navigation has an enormous impact,\u201d explains Professor Ineke van der Ham. \u201cPeople may be unable to travel independently or even go to the supermarket. A GPS phone often doesn\u2019t help either, since many struggle to translate a map into the real world.\u201d<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The condition has recently been given a name: Atopia<\/em>. The term was chosen as part of Professor Van der Ham\u2019s current research project, which aims to raise awareness of the disorder. \u201cWithout language and recognition, people cannot be helped,\u201d she explains. \u201cThrough this project, we want to make the condition known and ensure that it is recognized much earlier.\u201d<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n <\/div>\n \n\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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More than dots and dashes in the lab<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Van der Ham is Professor of Technological Innovations in Neuropsychology at Leiden University. Her career began with abstract laboratory research, but over time she felt that this work was too detached from patients\u2019 real experiences. \u201cWhen I met people who, after a stroke, suddenly began getting lost more often, something clicked,\u201d she says. \u201cThey became deeply anxious and insecure; it had a huge impact on their daily lives. And I thought: the lines and dots I study in the lab say nothing about this, even though this is what truly affects people.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Van der Ham then turned to virtual simulations as a way to bring her research closer to people\u2019s real experiences. In 2018, for instance, she launched a public game that allowed tens of thousands of people to test their navigation skills from home. \u201cFor the first time, this gave us reference values for different age groups,\u201d she explains. \u201cTo better understand Atopia and develop treatments, we first needed to understand how healthy people navigate and which factors – such as age and environment – influence that ability.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The experiment produced surprising insights that attracted widespread media attention. It revealed that age, not gender, is the most important factor in navigation ability. The study also showed that stereotypes play a major role in how people assess their own sense of direction: men tend to overestimate their skills, women underestimate theirs \u2014 and interestingly, children appear to have a more accurate sense of their own ability than adults do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Increasing awareness of Atopia in classrooms and consulting rooms<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Many people don\u2019t realize until later in life that they have trouble finding their way. \u201cWhat we often see is that people only start coming up with coping strategies around the age of sixty,\u201d says Van der Ham. \u201cBut by then, they\u2019ve already spent a lifetime being dependent. The earlier you know you have this, the sooner you can develop ways to navigate independently.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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To raise awareness, Van der Ham and her research team developed a public website about Atopia together with team 8D. Over time, the site will bring together all the tools created within the project \u2014 including personal stories, practical tips, and educational materials for healthcare and education professionals. Beyond sharing information, the website is also meant to be a place for connection. \u201cThat\u2019s why we\u2019re adding a forum function,\u201d Van der Ham explains. \u201cThis way, people with Atopia can find one another and share their experiences.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cThrough this website, people with Atopia can find each other and share their experiences.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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