I’m welcoming esteemed lawyer in the autism world, Gary Mayerson, back for a second interview! Gary had just finished his second book for children with autism when COVID-19 swooped in and changed everything, so he paused the publication of Autism’s Declaration of Independence to address the pandemic’s impact on the autism community and how a free appropriate public education fits into the new virtual world we live in.
I’ve been in the online education space since 2015, so I know that there are definite advantages to using the internet as a medium to reach more people. From Gary’s perspective, there are also benefits to moving IEP meetings online. But of course, there are many, many drawbacks to online instruction for both children with autism and their parents. Struggling to get children to pay attention to a device, removing parents from their support network, and providing therapy across a screen to an uncooperative child are just a few examples of how online school can be a struggle for the autism community.
And while every child is guaranteed access to a free appropriate public education, there is some difficulty in translating an IEP into remote instruction. After all, how do you track success on virtual instructions? School districts must flex to deal with the pandemic, but they also have to deal with budget constraints and public health mandates. It is definitely not an ideal situation.
Gary’s newest book tackles some of these questions but also addresses some of the more difficult problems facing children with autism as they transition into adulthood. How can children with autism stay safe from the police? What will their living situations look like? What can we do to protect adults with autism from sexual abuse?
For over 20 years, Gary has dedicated his law practice Mayerson & Associates to representing children with autism. In addition to advocating for them in the public education space, he’s also represented them in criminal cases. His book and his current advocacy are focused on helping individuals with autism transition successfully to adulthood where they can work meaningful jobs and live as independently as possible.
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