-------------------------------------------------------------- NEWS OF NOTE A Hard-Hitting Story: Young Football Players Take Big-League Hits to Head PBS NewsHour, Stone Phillips | April 2, 2012 An estimated 3.5 million kids play football below the high school level. New research offers the first quantitative study of the risk that young brains face in youth football. African-American Children More Optimistic on Race Than Whites CNN. AC360, Anderson Cooper | April 2, 2012 A CNN commissioned study raises questions about what American children are learning about race. Students at integrated schools were less negative about race because friendship is a powerful force against prejudice. Puberty Before Age 10 - A New Normal? The New York Times, Elizabeth Weil | April 1, 2012 The science of early-onset puberty, and what it means for early-developing girls and their parents. As Better Screening Finds More Autism, Experts Push for Early Diagnosis and Seek Causes Washington Post/Associated Press | March 30, 2012 New government statistics show 1 in 88 children are diagnosed on the autism spectrum. The Centers for Disease Control reports 40 percent of kids aren't identified as autistic until after age four. Dad Joins the PTA Columbus Dispatch, Ken Gordon | March 29, 2012 Ohio PTA's Men Organized to Raise Engagement Committee aims to boost school participation from fathers. Economic shifts, including male unemployment, may be contributing to the uptick in involvement by dads. We Fought for Fairness and Won LA Youth, Maceo Bradley | March 29, 2012 Maceo Bradley, a 17-year-old high school student, describes his experience battling truancy laws in Los Angeles. Report: 60 percent of Older Women Can't Afford Basics Women's eNews, Sharon Johnson | March 28, 2012 The majority of American women over age 65 lack the income to afford basic living expenses. The annual income of the typical older woman was $14,000 in 2010, according to a new report. Military Families Face Heightened Financial Concerns CNN Money, Jessica Dickler | March 27, 2012 Military families move 10 times more often than civilians, making it hard for spouses to find and maintain work and more challenging to raise kids without extended family. Father on Parenting from Prison: 'They're Doing This Time with Me' Minnesota Public Radio, Sasha Aslanian | March 27, 2012 Leon Perry began serving a life sentence in prison in 1995. When he went in, his five children were all under seven years old. |