By RACHEL COOK | Post Register

She’s only 9 years old, but Rachel Pymm plays a critical role at Discovery Elementary School. The fourth-grader has taken an autistic classmate under her wing – teaching him to jump rope and encouraging him when he’s frustrated. “You’re doing a good job!” she told him during a recent lesson on cursive writing.

http://www.theolympian.com/northwest/story/1058224.html

HILLSBOROUGH (CBS 5) ―

The mother of an autistic child developed an online tool that helps parents track their children’s progress and may aid scientists in the search for a solution.

http://cbs5.com/local/charm.autism.tracker.2.1330241.html

By: Amy Norton

Reuters Health

When one identical twin develops the developmental disorder autism, the risk of the other developing it is high — substantially higher than it is for fraternal twins, a new study confirms. The study, which gathered information from 277 twin pairs in which at least one had an autistic disorder, found that when one identical twin developed an autistic disorder, the other one also did 88 percent of the time.

http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE59L4MW20091022