What is the evidence that autism is genetic?

This week we talk to Drs. Steve Scherer, Lisa Bradley and Graham Collingridge who recently published research that shows the gene PTCHD1-AS influences social functioning in humans and mice, without influencing intellectual deficits. This is the newest data that shows a single gene can control social communication and not some of the other comorbid features of ASD. They review the data around genetic influences in autism, why the knowledge of the role of genes in autism has exploded in the past decade, evidence that specific genes lead to an autism diagnosis, and more specifically, what this gene does in the brain and why it took so long to identify it. Here is the article: open access! https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-026-10515-6 Need a genetic test? Here are some resources: www.startgenetic.com Genetic Testing