title: [Attention processes in autism].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This article briefly explains and defines what attention is, as well as its implications for the development of complex cognitive functions.
  
  
  METHODS
  The different attentional processes are described, with special emphasis on those that have been addressed in research conducted in the field of autistic spectrum disorders, and the experimental findings that have been obtained so far are also reported.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Some attentional processes, such as selective or sustained attention, are not altered in autism or not enough evidence has been found to support such a hypothesis. Nevertheless, difficulties do exist in divided attention processes, although very little research has been carried out to study them, and even more problems are seen in joint attention skills.
authors.affiliation: Centro DELETREA, 28014 Madrid, Espana. deletrea@telefonica.net
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Martos-Pérez
mesh_terms: D001288:Attention; D001321:Autistic Disorder / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans