Rapid progress is being made with regard to understanding the factors that increase the risk for developing the autisms, which are among the most common of neurodevelopmental disorders. Pat Levitt, Director of the Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute at USC, gives a brief overview of the current state of thinking regarding genetic risk and the basic strategies used to perform genetic studies.  Dr. Levitt presents a flexible model that converges on important neurobiological elements based on basic and clinical research findings from many laboratories. (#17658)