It is no secret that parents of autistic children are stressed. However, a recent study found that for many parents its not the extra care needed for the child that increases the stress level, but instead is the child's behavioral problems that can send stress levels through the roof for many.

An accidental discovery at the University of Parma in Italy, gave researchers insight into the inner workings of the brain and how the premotor cortex fires neurons. Many times these neurons are fired during activity, but researchers observed that the same type of brain activity was present in the premotor cortex when the subject was motionless and was merely observing the same type of activity.

Making the front page CNN.com this morning is the report that is naming the shortcomings in the public schools system with regard to the handling of special education students. Featured in this CNN video host Roland Martin speaks to Barbara Trader, Executive Director of TASH speaks about the report, the school system, and the congressional hearings that will be taking place because of it.

Insurance industry regulators in California have thrown up roadblocks to thousands of families in the state. A ruling on Monday will force insurance companies to cover speech, occupational and physical therapies. However there will be no mandate to cover behavioral therapies like ABA and other social therapies to build social skills. This of course may put a greater burden on the state years down the road. Something that legislators in many states fail to realize.

A recent study involving highly social mice hypothesizes that the ability to empathize may be rooted deeply in genetics. In testing, researchers observed cross sections of mice behavior when a mouse's distressed squeak was played. The more social mice responded to the distress calls, while a different genetic strain of mice did not.

Congregations of many faiths are welcoming of families with children on the spectrum. The Caldwell College in North Jersey offers a program to teach participants how churches and synagogues can become more welcoming to those whom may have behavioral issues that some may see as disruptive and explain the reasons behind them.

Wendy Portillo, whom you may remember was suspended one year without pay for having her kindergarten students vote out a classmate for his bad behavior is looking for forgiveness for her lapse of judgement.

Scientists, testing genetic variations in rhesus macaque monkeys, have noted that genetic variations of serotonin negatively impacted the social behavior of the test subjects. Rhesus macaques and humans share this very particular genetic trait. Those monkeys that contained the shorter version of the gene experienced a higher incidence of social anxiety.