Brief report: A case of autism associated with del(2)(q32.1q32.2) or (q32.2q32.3).

Doctors looked at one boy with autism. He had a missing piece on chromosome 2. They mapped the exact spot of the deletion.

The boy spoke well and scored high on IQ tests. The team wanted to see if his DNA change could guide future gene hunts.

The missing stretch sits at 2q32. No known gene was broken, but the spot holds several brain-active genes.

This single case adds 2q32 to the list of places to watch in autism genetics.

Cramm et al. (2009) found an extra chunk of chromosome 8p21 in one teen with autism and self-biting. Both papers are lone-patient maps, just on different chromosomes.

Shields et al. (2013) saw the well-known 15q11-13 duplication in a small group. Their case series gave an EEG signature, while Louise et al. give only a location.

Dixon et al. (2008) mapped a chromosome 1-7 swap in one child with both autism and childhood schizophrenia. Again, no gene was disrupted, matching the 2q32 pattern.

You will not test for 2q32 in clinic tomorrow. Still, keep an eye on genetic reports. If a client shows this deletion, you can note it as a possible autism-linked finding and track future work on that region.