However, our ASD patients, who have alpha thalassemia trait due to 16p13.3 deletions ranging from 3,924–149,072 bp, were unlikely to have ATR-16 syndrome because the 16p13.3 deletions in previously reported patients were much larger (>800 kb)74–76 and included many other genes including SOX8. This evidence concerns the gene SOX8 and Alpha-thalassemia.