Abstract: This paper proposes that one of the underlying causes of Autism Spectrum Disorder is the presence of a High-Pass Filter Effect applied to cognitive perception. Such an effect causes an enhancement of local details at the expense of global patterns. In particular, the High-Pass Filter Effect induces a disadvantage pertaining to mastering contextual fields (fields in which local features are noisy and information is distributed in adjacent perceptual pieces and in the relationship between them; for instance, interpersonal communication). Furthermore, in some cases, the High-Pass Filter Effect produces an advantage with respect to mastering detailed fields (fields in which information is intrinsic in modular, precise pieces of information; for example, computer science).
In this paper, the High-Pass Filter Effect is explained, two secondary effects are described, (Pe- ripheral Functionality Blindness and Prioritization by Specificity), and then a few examples of the way in which these effects induce the symptoms of Autism Spectrum Disorder are reported.