SYSTEMATIC LITERATURE REVIEW ON THE OVERLAP BETWEEN SYNESTHESIA AND SUBJECTIVE EXPERIENCE IN THE DISORDER OF

Abstract

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is characterized as a neurodevelopmental condition marked by a neurofunctional architecture that transcends mere barriers to social communication, focusing on the basis of sensory-perceptual organization.Contemporary scientific research has highlighted a strong intersection between ASD and synesthesia-a phenomenon of multimodal integration in which stimulation of one afferent sensory pathway triggers an involuntary and idiosyncratic response in a distinct sensory modality.This research proposes a theoretical analysis of the overlap between synesthesia and the constitution of subjectivity in autism, examining how this atypical perceptual configuration structures the individual's "lifeworld" (Lebenswelt).Through a narrative literature review, evidence from systems neurobiology is integrated with the assumptions of the phenomenology of perception.The results confirm that the prevalence of synesthesia on the autism spectrum-documented at around 20%-is significantly higher than that of the neurotypical population.From a neurobiological perspective, this correlation stems from processes of cortical hyperconnectivity resulting from a systematic attenuation of synaptic pruning, facilitating cross-activation between sensory domains.From a phenomenological perspective, synesthesia is interpreted as the manifestation of the Gestalt unity of perception, in which the autistic "own body" operates in a state of radical openness and integration with stimuli.It is concluded that the synesthetic experience should not be reduced to a dysfunction, but rather recognized as a structuring component of neurodiversity, with direct implications for self-regulation, cognition, and artistic expression, requiring a transition from pathologizing models to the paradigm of neurodiversity.