Attentional processes in autism

Attentional processes in individuals with high-functioning autism were comp ared with a matched control group. Participants for the study were 103 chil dren and adults with autism and 103 control subjects. Measures administered corresponded to Mirsky et al.'s (1991) factor analysis of tests of attenti on. Diminished performance was noted on measures that loaded on the Focus-E xecute and Shift factors, but not on the Sustain and Encode factors. For te sts in which psychomotor speed was used as the score, and the difference be tween groups was significant, covariance analyses were performed, using tes ts of basic motor functions as covariates. This procedure led to attenuatio n to the point of nonsignificant differences in the case of some of the att ention tests. Thus, this comprehensive analysis of attention in individuals with high-functioning autism only found differences on measures in which t he task placed demands on cognitive flexibility or psychomotor speed. Thus, purported attention deficits in autism may actually be primary deficits in complex decision making or psychomotor abilities.