Hard Landings: Looking Into the Future for a Child with Autism

A game-changing exploration of what the future holds for the first generation of mainstreamed neurodiverse kids that is coming of age.

After sleepless nights, intensive research, and twenty-one years of raising a child, Ethan, with autism and intellectual disability, Cammie McGovern is approaching a distinct catch-22. Once Ethan turns twenty-two, he will fall off the Disability Cliff. By aging out of the school system, he'll lose access to most social, educational, and vocational resources. The catch is this: These resources, limited as they may be, have trained Ethan in skills for jobs that don't exist and a life he can't have.

Here, McGovern expands on her #1 New York Times piece, Looking into the Future for a Child with Autism, a future that often appears grim, with statistics like an 85 percent unemployment rate for people with ID. McGovern spent a year traveling the country and looking at the options for work and housing--and to her surprise discovered reasons to be optimistic. She asks the tough questions: What should parents prioritize as they ready their children for adulthood? How do we redefine success for our children? How can we sustain a hopeful attitude while navigating one obstacle after another?

As Ethan makes his way into the world, McGovern also looks into the hardest question of all: How can we ensure an independent future when we're gone? Hard Landings will serve as a renewed beacon of hope for parents who want to ensure the fullest life possible for their child's future.

Author: Cammie McGovern
Publisher: Avery Publishing Group
Published: 08/24/2021
Pages: 288
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.05lbs
Size: 8.98h x 5.91w x 1.42d
ISBN: 9780525539056

About the Author
Cammie McGovern is the author of three novels for adults, including Eye Contact; two books for young adults, Say What You Will and A Step Toward Falling; and two books for middle-grade readers, Just My Luck and Chester and Gus. All feature young people with a variety of disabilities at the center. She has been widely honored for her work advocating on behalf of people with disabilities and is one of the founders of Whole Children/Milestones, a resource center for children and young adults with disabilities and their families in Hadley, Massachusetts.