This week, more on genetics as an influence to an autism diagnosis with a twist: can genetics lead to a specific treatment for core symptoms – across the board? How do you measure such broad symptoms? Our Rett Syndrome family friends and colleagues developed a novel outcome measure to capture what was most important to them, and the FDA approved it for use in a clinical trial. Years later, a new drug was approved that led to a reduction in behaviors associated with Rett Syndrome. Autism can take a lesson from this. In addition, can the genetics of autism be explained by parents with similar phenotypes? This is called assortative mating. The answer is complex.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10450502/pdf/fped-11-1229553.pdf

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-023-02398-1

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/pmid/38877467