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Local Events
Annual Meeting for AZA Families
April 17th Children's Museum (Phoenix)
Wine Tasting Event for AZA
April 24th Wine Styles (Peoria)
ABA Training Class: Part 2
May 8th
AZA United (Phoenix)
Contact us for more information on any of these events! |
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Link of the Month
Visit the new and improved website of the Arizona Autism Coalition.
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DDD Announces Change in Hab M Guidelines  DDD has announced a change in policy for Behavioral Habilitation ("Hab M" and "Hab B"). The updated administrative directive can be viewed here (starting on page 135). The major change is that children who are under age 4 and meet all other qualification criteria can now be approved for the service, whereas previously it was limited to children under age 3. The service then lasts for two years.
AZA United is one of several Hab M providers in Maricopa County. You can read more about our Hab M program here. We offer a variety of customized supports to help your child get the most out of a home-based ABA habilitation program. There are many great benefits that our families have experienced by participating in this program, and we highly recommend it! For more information or to find out if your child qualifies, please contact our Program Team at (602) 773-5772 or Programs@AZAunited.org. |
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Join Us for a Wine Tasting on the 24th  On Saturday, April 24th, Wine Styles in Peoria will host an afternoon wine tasting event, with all proceeds benefiting AZA United. Tickets are just $7 per person, or a group of five for $25. Each guest will get 6 tickets to sample their favorite wines, and there will also be a silent auction with some great items up for grabs! Visit the event homepage for more details and to get your tickets, or just show up and pay at the door. Hope to see you there! |
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New Progress Report Takes Effect Parents and habilitators should receive a letter in the mail this month with information about AZA's new Monthly Habilitation Progress Report. We recommend that all habilitators start using this version right away, and it will be required staring June 1st. We have posted an announcement explaining what is different about this report, as well as some important points that both parents and habilitators need to understand. A tutorial is also posted on our website in the "Downloads" section. If you have any questions about this new report or a child's functional outcomes and teaching strategies, we are more than happy to help! Please contact our Program Team at (602) 773-5772, or email Programs@AZAunited.org.
If it seems like we are making a really big deal about this...we are! Trust us when we say, it's important. Thanks for your help!
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Reporting Gaps in Critical Services Whenever an employee has to cancel a scheduled respite or attendant care shift with a family, it is considered a gap in a critical service and must be reported to AZA United. It is important that gaps are reported as soon as possible so that we can look for a substitute if necessary. Parents should also report gaps if they would like a substitute.
You can report a gap by calling our main office at (602) 773-5773. If you reach the outgoing message, just push 1 to report the gap. The information we need is the date and time of the scheduled shift, child's name, and your reason for cancelling. If you have any questions about this process, please let us know!
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Movement Lessons  Contributed by Michelle Turner, AZA Member
No one plans to have a child with autism. It's an entirely different world that other people find hard to understand. I am a parent of two boys on the spectrum and a certified Movement Specialist and Educator. At my clinic, Movement Lesson, we use gentle touch and movement to enable any child with special needs or a learning disability to improve physically, mentally and emotionally. This method provides children with learning experiences that give them an opportunity to improve the functions of their nervous system. By working through a series of gentle, enjoyable movements, the child may display noticeable improvements in motion and awareness of his or her body. Some of the things that a parent might see within a few days of the first lesson are calmness, improved mood, better sleep, and increased awareness of surroundings. Some functional changes that have been seen as children continue the work include more effortless movements, better balance, improved mobility, greater problem-solving skills, and improved speech.
You can learn more at www.movementlesson.com. I would like to host a free demonstration of this method in the AZA United observable clinic. If you are interested in attending, please email demo@azaunited.org or call 602-773-5773 for more information! | |
Congratulations to our Employee of the Month!  Contributed by Stacy Strombeck-Goodrich, AZA Member Our family has been very fortunate to receive habilitation and respite services from AZA United. We have two boys, Lance (4 years), and Luke (almost 2 years). Both boys have a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder. Your employee Gloria Aviles has been working with Lance for the past two years. When she started working with Lance, Luke was only seven weeks old. Since Luke has been diagnosed, she is working with both boys. Gloria is a truly amazing person. She is prompt, responsible and extremely reliable. She has earned our complete trust! Gloria has been absolutely instrumental in helping our boys in so many ways. She has worked with Lance on feeding issues, social relationships, behavior challenges and communication. She first helped to teach him PECs, and now is helping him learn to use his aug-comm. She also continually uses PRT with Lance to improve his verbalizations. Lance has improved hugely, with Gloria's help. His behavior is so much better, because he has a clear means of communication. Lance is a happy, loving little guy, and he likes spending time with Gloria. She makes learning fun for him, and we feel so lucky to have her also working with Luke. We know that she will be a great teacher for him, just as she has been for Lance. Having two children on the spectrum was not something we anticipated, but Gloria makes things so much better for our family. We are privileged to have her working with our boys! |
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Thanks for all you do, and don't forget to tell us what else we can do...for you! |
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