Central Texas parent Charity Smith Bartell discusses the challenges her autistic son faces in the Texas public school system. Unsatisfied with Ben’s progress in the classroom, Bartell has invested her own time and money into tutoring him at home to meet his complex educational needs.

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Elise Hu was a political reporter at the Tribune, focusing on multimedia projects, from 2009 to 2011. She previously worked as the state political reporter for Austin's ABC affiliate, KVUE-TV, from 2006...