[Atentional processes and attention deficit disorders in autism]

Autism is recognised as being a behavioural syndrome characterised by impaired language development, restricted interests and compromised socialisation. It is accepted that persons with autism react in an inappropriate way to socially relevant information and that they are unable to benefit from important stimuli from their surroundings. A number of disorders affecting different attention processes (with the ensuing difficulty involved in selecting and hierarchising stimuli) have been put forward as probable hypotheses to account for the genesis of these problems.

In this work we analyse some of the attentional processes reported as being due to deficits in autism (disorders affecting alertness, orientation, gaze, sustained attention and changes in focus of attention). We also examine the high rate of comorbidity of attention deficit disorders with or without hyperactivity (ADHD) with pervasive developmental disorders (PDD) and the importance of identifying them.

Although many disorders affecting the components of attention have been reported, the findings and their importance are controversial and it is likely that their association to other cognitive disorders plays an important role in the development of autism. With regard to the association between ADHD and PDD, it is an acknowledged fact that up to 70% of the persons with PDD meet ADHD criteria; whether we are before a situation of comorbidity, it is part of the spectrum or forms a specific subtype is an interesting issue for debate. Nevertheless, what is essential is for this association to be acknowledged to allow therapy to be undertaken using the correct approach.