Instead of looking at genes associated with the big “autism”, researchers at the University of Miami are considering how genes influence specific autism features present very early on in life. In this week’s podcast, two investigators, Devon Gangi and Nicole McDonald, explore how genetic variants influence behaviors that are not autism, but predictive of autism. Even more intriguing is how these genes regulate the effects of environmental variables on later behavior. While it isn’t autism specifically, this approach may provide a better perspective on all those hundreds of genes associated with an autism diagnosis. Hopefully this will lead to add on therapies to speed up the progress of behavioral interventions.