So although they actually have a good landmark memory — the ability to recognise and remember distinctive features of their environment — their overarching cognitive map never quite assembles.This means they might know their home is somewhere near the station, and that the shops are somewhere near home — but the pieces stay as separate facts rather than fusing into a single layout they can mentally rise above and read.So the moment a familiar route is interrupted (a closed road, a wrong turn or approaching a building from an unexpected side) there's no map to fall back on. The landmarks tell them what they're looking at, but not how it all fits together.As one participant we interviewed as part of our research explained: "I am always in one place in my head, so I cannot imagine what my environment looks like."When everyday navigation becomes more challenging, it creates a perfect setting for people with atopia to become more rigid, avoid leaving their house or become reliant on GPS devices. This behaviour can be misread as carelessness, anxiety or even low intelligence — which is completely unfounded, but would have significant negative impacts on these people.Without the right support, people with atopia can quickly lose their independence In one study, people who did not exercise their navigation system and relied more heavily on GPS had measurably worse spatial memory when later asked to find their way without it. When the same people were followed over three years, heavier GPS use predicted a steeper decline.Previous studies have shown that virtual training programmes can be helpful for people with DTD in improving spatial orientation skills. We're currently testing a similar kind of training to help people with atopia