There are some wide-ranging bits of interest in the news today, starting with this story about a new online video that gives clues meant to help parents with early detection of autism.

Access to the site is free and provides an ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) Video Glossary containing more than one hundred clips that juxtapose video of kids with ASD aside those without, dramatically illustrating such symptomatic behaviors as stimming'and echolalia.

Although some are concerned that parents may be prompted to unnecessary worry, others suggest that the potential for early treatment is too valuable to keep limit access to the info.

A survey out of the UK has found that around one in six parents reports that they feel pressure from society in the way of criticism over their parenting that causes "significant difficulties ".

The charity Children 1st sponsored the report timed to come out during National Parenting Week and would like parenting to be recognized as a difficult job.

Do people not know that?

Apparently, they need more help than they're getting and the pressure is getting to them.

"There is an endless list of numbers being thrown at parents - you have to make sure children get an hour's exercise a day, five portions of fruit and veg a day, no more than half an hour of TV a day and all the other things we're supposed to do," she [Justine Roberts, co-founder of internet parent website Mumsnet] said. "There are just so many things to fall down on."

Parents of teens get the most grief, which is no surprise, but it shouldn't be a surprise that kids eventually become teens and many important lessons need to be learned before they get to that stage.

In an interesting look at selective child abuse, this story features a 13-year-old who has been severely abused ... a weight of only 72 pounds, broken bones, scars, etc. ... in a family where four other children seem to have been well treated.

Apparently it is fairly common for abusers to target one child, perhaps because the unfortunate one resembles someone they don't like or has certain traits the parents find unacceptable.

All five of these kids are now in foster care and the parents have been charged with felony injury to a child.

Lt. Diaz said the boy has provided little information about his ordeal, but appears to love his parents unconditionally and would return to them if allowed.

While that poor kid has been suffering for years, falling through the cracks all along and getting no attention from authorities, in Britain many are wondering if social services workers are being over-zealous and removing kids from homes that are fine.

In this case, a mother plans to take her plea for getting one of her kids back to the European Court of Human Rights.

The story is an interesting read, and poses many questions.

The state of Vermont should be paying more to foster parents, according to a recent study from Children's Rights, the National Foster Parent Association and the School of Social Work at the University of Maryland.

The looked-for increase is between 48 and 52 percent, depending on the age of the child, which should bring the amount up near the actual costs of raising a child.