As recent studies have begun to dissect with greater precision the interaction between components of the cortical circuitry that drive OD plasticity, this model may continue to improve as a useful framework for understanding if mutations in other genes also linked to syndromic forms of autism spectrum disorders, including neuroligin 3 (NLGN3), Src Homology-3 domain and multiple ankyrin repeat domains protein 3 (SHANK3), and Methyl CpG binding protein 2 (MECP2), interfere with experience-dependent plasticity conserved within neocortex. This evidence concerns the gene MECP2 and autism spectrum disorder.