APFM Webinar Series
Family Mediation and Autism Spectrum Disorder
moderated by Former Family Court Judge Lawrence Jones, who will be joined by panelists Cyndee Policastro-Smith (Board Certified Behavioral Analyst), Jared B. Oberweiss, Esq. (Special Needs Attorney),and Joni Jones, RN, PMH-BC (Special Needs Advocate, Mediator)
Wednesday, April 15, 2026
12:00 Noon – 1:30 PM Eastern (9:00-10:30 AM Pacific)
Non-Member Registration
About the Webinar
What happens when separating or divorcing couples enter mediation with a child having Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)? The most recent CDC Report reflects that as many as 1 in 31 children are diagnosed with ASD. In considering this statistic, the odds are strong that any mediator who focuses in family practice will from time to time have cases involving one or more children with autism.This program addresses issues which often arise during mediation sessions and settlement discussions, and how mediators may constructively help parents discuss and settle such issues, including:
- Issues over Diagnosis and Plan of Care
- Child Custody and Parenting Time
- Generalization and Mainstreaming
- Support Issues and Special Expenses
- Public benefits (SS, Medicaid, etc)
- Special Needs Trusts
- When child with ASD reaches adulthood (Guardianships, Residential Issues, etc.)
- Restorative Practice: An Emerging Option among Alternative Dispute Resolution Processes
- Cultural Awareness and Sensitivity
- Other Issues, including recent U.S Supreme Court cases involving children and developmental disabilities
About the Panelists
Lawrence R. Jones retired from the New Jersey Judiciary in 2017, after serving the public as a Superior Court Judge. During his term on the Bench, Jones served as the President of the New Jersey Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (NJCJFCJ), and authored over 60 opinions on novel issues of law, including a significant unpublished opinion regarding custody and parenting issues for children with autism (Rooney v. Wall, 2015). Following his years in the Judiciary, he was honored by the New Jersey Law Journal in June 2017 as a Distinguished Leader of the N.J. Bar. In November 2017, he was appointed by N.J. Governor-elect Phil Murphy to serve on his gubernatorial transition team relative to legal issues and social justice. Lawrence Jones previously served on both the New Jersey Council of Developmental Disabilities (2007-2009) and the Governor’s Adults with Autism Task Force (2008-2009), both times as an appointee of then N.J. Governor Jon Corzine. On the latter committee, Jones served as Chair of the Subcommittee on Legal Issues, and helped develop the “Plan for Action” which ultimately resulted in the creation of New Jersey’s Office of Autism Services. Thereafter, following Jones’ appointment to the Judiciary — and consistent with the aforementioned Plan for Action relative to educating Superior Court Judges on autism — Judge Jones founded, developed and co-presented the first program in New Jersey for sitting family court judges on autism and divorce, which was presented at the New Jersey Judiciary’s Judicial College in 2010. Judge Jones also co-authored the 2010 Judicial Bench Guide on the subject. Additionally, he was the co-author of the “Jones-Holmes criteria” of special considerations for judges deciding custody issues regarding children with autism, which was presented at (a) the N.J. Judicial College in 2010 (b) , the Autism Society of America’s national convention in Pittsburgh in 2013, and (c) the American College of Forensic Psychology Annual Symposium in San Francisco. He presently resides in New Mexico, teaches at the University of New Mexico, and practices online mediation and alternate dispute resolution.
Cynthia Policastro-Smith, has a long history of working with children who are neurotypical and with children with developmental disabilities including children with autism spectrum disorder. Cynthia began working with children as a family daycare provider and a Girl Scouts leader. Cynthia completed her BA in Psychology and obtained a Teacher of the Handicapped teaching certificate. During this period Cynthia worked in homes providing ABA for children on the autism spectrum and then obtained a teaching position at Children’s Center in Neptune, NJ. Cynthia’s next step was to move to Toms River Regional Schools to open a classroom at Intermediate East for students with Autism and also began leading Kidz Korner after school program for special needs students for the Family Resource Network. Cynthia went on to become Coordinator of the Special Needs programs for the Family Resource Network. Cynthia then began a position at Hooper Avenue Elementary School teaching elementary age students on the autism spectrum. Cynthia obtained a MA in Applied Behavior Analysis and became a BCBA and began to supervise home ABA programs. Cynthia went on to provide support to staff at Toms River Regional Schools as an Autism Program Facilitator. Cynthia then became certified as a Handle with Care, behavior management system instructor and provided trainings in HWC for the Family Resource Network. Currently, Cynthia continues to teach students with autism at Toms River Regional Schools, facilitates trainings for HWC behavior management system, acts as a mentor for new teachers, presents at workshops and programs across the state of New Jersey and provides clinical supervision of home ABA programs for the Family Resource Network and Proud Moments.
Jared B. Oberweis concentrates his practice in estate and trust matters, guardianships and adult services. Jared enjoys representing clients with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities to ensure their rights are protected. He was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey and is a graduate of West Windsor Plainsboro High School North. Jared was admitted to the New Jersey Bar and Pennsylvania Bar in 2014 after receiving a Juris Doctorate from Duquesne University School of Law. At Duquense University School of Law, Jared served on Duquense Law Review as a Senior Staff Editor. Prior to law school, he obtained a Bachelor of Science degree from University of Pittsburgh, graduating Cum Laude. Jared serves as President on the Board of Directors of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, Mercer County (NAMI Mercer), on the Board of Directors of The Arc Gloucester and on the Board of Directors of Disability Rights of New Jersey, is a member of the Mercer County Bar Association and volunteers to provide pro bono services. Outside of work, Jared enjoys golfing, cooking and traveling. He currently lives in Yardville, New Jersey with his wife, Lyssa, their daughter, Olivia, and their dog, Jax.
Joni Jones, RN-BC, is a registered nurse, board certified in psychiatric and mental health nursing, a former certified developmental disabilities nurse, and retired member of the NJ State Board of Nursing. She served on N.J. Governor Phil Murphy ‘s transition team on health related issues . In 2013, Joni was the recipient of the Elizabeth Kellogg Award for excellence in nursing. Joni is one of the original founders and former vice president of Parents of Autistic Children (POAC). She has presented on autism spectrum disorder at multiple conferences both nationally and on a state level. Some of these venues have included The Developmental Disabilities Nurses Association, and the Autism Society of America. From 2002-2009, Joni worked with multiple major league baseball teams to create the first-ever “Autism Awareness Day” games hosted by the New York Yankees (the Florida Marlins, the Pittsburgh Pirates, and the (then) Montreal Expos. In 2002, the National baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown New York honored the Lakewood BlueClaws, minor league affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies, for hosting pro baseball’s first-ever Autism Awareness Day and CNN won a 2003 Emmy award for its coverage of the event. She is a member of the New Jersey Association of Professional Mediators’ Diversity/Inclusion Committee and the co-author of “10 BASIC PRINCIPLES OF CULTURAL COMPETENCY (BPCC), and was a co-presenter and moderator on autism-related issues at the 2022 National Cultural Competency Forum (NCCF). She has recently relocated to New Mexico and is presently an appointed member of U.S Senator Ben Ray Lujan’s Consortium on Mental Health issues.
Time and Place
Wednesday, April 15, 2026
12:00 Noon – 1:30 PM Eastern (9:00-10:30 AM Pacific)
Cost
Free for APFM Members, $50 for Non-Members.
More Information about the Webinar
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