|
Local Events
Parent Information Sharing Night
November 17th
AZA United (Phoenix)
ABA Training Class: Part 1
December 5th
AZA United (Phoenix)
Special Education Parent Training November 17th
Center for Disability Law (Phoenix)
ABA Training Series
November 20th
Contact us for more information on any of these events! |
|
Link of the Month
The National Autism Center recently released the National Standards Report, the most comprehensive analysis available to date about treatments for children and adolescents with ASD.
| |
|
|
|
|
|
Family Nights with the Phoenix Suns!!  AZA United will be kicking off the new year with our most exciting Family Event yet! We'll be going to not one but two Suns games in January and March, against the Chicago Bulls & the Denver Nuggets! Rumor has it Michael Jordan is coming out of retirement again for just this game, but that might just be a rumor...no one knows for sure. Either way, don't miss out on this one-of-a-kind event where you will not only watch a game, but play on the court when it's over! That's right. Last year we had a great experience doing a "basketball camp" for kids on the spectrum and their siblings, and we wanted to do it again with a little more style. So after game 2, we have reserved center court at US Airways Arena for our group! We'll have a full hour of open gym and basketball games or lessons for anyone who wants to join us, open to all ages and abilities. This event is open to everyone, so spread the word! For just $30, you get tickets to both games (and a cool Suns player jersey bag). We only have 100 tickets to go around so make your reservation early by giving us a call or sending an email to events@azaunited.org. Visit our website and view this flyer for more information. Hope to see you there!
|
|
It's Time to Lend a Helping Hand  In 2010, Arizona Autism United will launch a new program for families called "Helping Hands." Each family who participates will have their own personal Program Coach, a senior staff member who will work proactively with parents to address constantly changing needs as their child develops through the years. We know that there are many approaches to helping children on the autism spectrum succeed, and no single approach works for everyone. We have also found that there is always something that can help a child and a family, but that something changes frequently. We are fortunate to live in a state where direct services, such as habilitation, are available through public funding. What is often missing, however, is the ongoing professional oversight and training that can make these services most effective. With Helping Hands, the family's Program Coach will maintain an active relationship and dialogue with parents and the child's habilitation team members so that individualized needs are quickly recognized and solutions can be presented. When parents know what they need for any given month, the Program Coach will be there to respond. When parents are unsure of what to do next, the Program Coach will offer a "Menu of Supports" to choose from and customize to their needs. Common supports include team meetings, habilitator training sessions, and parent coaching. This program, however, will extend far beyond the traditional supports for the purpose of embracing our co-op philosophy of self-direction. The family will have a certain number of consulting hours to use each month as they believe will most benefit their child. Other examples may include a specialized intervention (trying new foods, toilet training, etc.), successful community integration (meeting at the park to practice socializing, or the grocery store to support positive behavior), home program organization (setting up a successful learning environment, or compiling powerful teaching tools), or aligning habilitation goals with other services and programs to give the child consistency (speech therapy, occupational therapy, school, etc.). More information will be available soon. Just watch for the Helping Hands!
|
|
Making History with Founding Donors  AZA United is at a critical point in our organizational development. We have grown significantly since our inception 4 years ago, and we have worked to hard to build a lasting infrastructure and deliver high quality services. As you can see in the article above, we are ready to take this model to a new level with the Helping Hands program. And now is when we need your help. We are currently embarking on our first ever fundraising drive in the pursuit of Founding Donors - individuals who believe in what we do and want to see us do it better, helping more kids and delivering greater outcomes, through the Helping Hands program. Founding Donors will be recognized for their gift of $1000 on a permanent recognition wall at our center, as well as a variety of other ways. We recognize the significance of this commitment in the early stages of our organizational lifecycle, and that is why we believe extra recognition is deserved for those willing to take the leap of faith with us. Are you interested in becoming a Founding Donor, or do you know someone else who might be? Please read this flyer for more information on how to get involved. We are also inviting businesses large and small to participate as Founding Corporate Sponsors, with a gift of $2500. Every thousand dollars contributed will sponsor a family for a full year of participation in the Helping Hands program. If these amounts are not within your budget but you still want to help, please consider becoming a Supporting Donor at whatever level makes sense for you and your family. Donations can be made online from our homepage, or by contacting us via phone or donate@azaunited.org. Thank you for your support and generosity, on behalf of AZA United and all of the families that we can help!
|
|
Join us for some PIE  On the evening of Tuesday, November 17th, we at AZA United are going to host an information sharing event for parents, known more affectionately as "PIE - Parent Information and Education." We plan to make this a monthly event for parents to attend at your leisure to learn from each other, our staff and any invited speakers on a particular topic. And of course, there will be pie! And other refreshments to subsidize your dinner... For our first get-together, we will be discussing "Effective use of DDD Services." We are bringing together a wide range of experiences, knowledge and ideas to help you make the most of the services you have. This conversation will focus mostly on habilitation and how to turn goals into a variety of enriching activities each day. We'll also be sharing suggestions on how to prepare for ISP meetings so that you can adequately document and justify your child's individualized need for services. Suggestions for record-keeping will also be shared so that you can choose a method that gives you what you need and makes the most sense for your family. We'll talk about available resources at AZA United and other community organizations that can help. To RSVP, email PIE@azaunited.org.
|
|
Swine Flu Reminders for Employees & Families Everyone knows that we are now in flu season, and this year we all need to take extra precautions to minimize the risk posed by H1N1, or "swine flu." For the latest updates, check the CDC website regularly at http://cdc.gov/h1n1flu/sick.htm. Additional information is available on the DDD website. We at AZA United want to remind all families and employees of best practices for preventing influenza spread:
1. Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
2. Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hand cleaners are also effective.
3. Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth. Germs spread this way.
Most importantly, parents and employees need to communicate frequently with each other and consider rescheduling sessions if the child, employee or parent is experiencing any flu-like symptoms. Some children may be especially vulnerable and should avoid exposure as much as possible. Please contact us if you have any questions.
|
|
Employee of the Month  Contributed by Lori Rodriguez, AZA parent member
I wanted to take this opportunity to recognize our habilitator, Ana Fernandez-Ziya. Ana has worked with my son for a year now and has assisted him with making such wonderful progress. It was 1 ½ years ago when our twins were diagnosed with autism. Our son, Michael, was not speaking much; in fact he only had a few words in his vocabulary, was not potty trained, not eating properly, would not interact with other people/children, was hurting himself, not sleeping and there was no way we could take him out to eat or in a public setting without a big scene. Ana decided to take on the enormous responsibility of helping Michael overcome some of these issues and to help our family help Michael recover from this devastating diagnosis. With Ana's help, I am happy to say, I can take my son out to restaurants and he is so well behaved. I even get compliments from others on how well behaved and how well mannered he is. He is potty trained, with few accidents, does not hurt himself anymore, is interacting with other children and saying please, thank you, and able to speak many words. Ana has done so many wonderful things with Michael! For example, Michael has a library card and goes to the library every week, she reads books to him, sings songs, and they do crafts (he even made me a birthday card and made a frame for his picture for me and sang happy birthday to me). He goes shopping, to the airport, to the zoo, to the parks, to birthday parties, and to family functions. These things were not easy for Michael or Ana, as she endured the screaming and kicking, but hung in there for Michael and did not let that discourage her. Ana is truly our angel and I thank GOD for her every day. Michael would not be where he is today without Ana!
Parents, do you have a provider that goes above & beyond? Send your nominations to greatpeople@AZAunited.org!
| |
|
Thanks for all you do, and don't forget to tell us what else we can do...for you! |
|
|
