Downregulated genes by loss of Ash1L are enriched in neuronal communication/synaptic function and chromatin remodeling/gene transcription, such as Grin2b, Slc6a1, Shank2/3, Pten, Arid1b, Bcl11a, and Foxp1/2, which are also high-risk autism genes identified by transcriptomic analysis of autistic human brains2,48. Here, SHANK2 is linked to autism.