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Upcoming Events
ABA Seminars for Parents & Habilitators
September 21st & 22nd
AZA United Autism/Aspergers Conference
September 17th & 18th
Phoenix Convention Center
Benefit Concert for AZ Autism Coalition
September 25th
US Airways Arena (Phoenix)
Zoowalk for Autism Research Phoenix Zoo
Walk Now for Autism Speaks
October 31st
Tempe Beach Park
Suns-Bulls Game with AZA
November 24th
US Airways Arena (Phoenix)
Contact us for more information on any of these events!
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Link of the Month
O. Ivar Lovaas, a pioneer in the field of behavioral treatment for children with autism and a former professor for AZA United's executive director, sadly passed away last month.
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Free seminars this month for parents & habilitators  Join as at the AZA United office for either one, two or all three of this month's 2-hour video review & discussion seminars! These classes are free and open to all families and AZA United employees. Habilitators will receive credit for professional development hours toward your next raise. The schedule is: - Tues, 09/21, 1 pm - 3 pm: Behavior Management
- Wed, 09/22, 10 am - 12 pm: Discrete Trial Teaching
- Wed, 09/22, 1 pm - 3 pm: Natural Environment Teaching
Space is limited so please contact us to sign up! Send an email to info@azaunited.org or call 602-773-5772. All classes will be facilitated by Ehren Werntz, Program Manager for AZA United. |
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Join us at this month's Autism Conference  The annual "Back to School" Autism / Aspergers Conference will be held this month on September 17th & 18th. Get more information and register to attend here. There are many great presentations planned this year, including one by AZA United's executive director, Aaron Blocher-Rubin, entitled Making Habilitation Work for Your Child and Your Family. Discounts are available for families and habilitators. For AZA United employees, remember that you are eligible for a 50% reimbursement for registration fees, as well as professional development credit hours! AZA United will also have an information booth at the conference. Meet us there at 10:30 or just before lunch on each day to meet other AZA habilitators or families and make some new friends!
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Get your tickets for the Employee Raffle!  OK, this seems a little bizarre, but we're going to do it anyway. This winter, we will have a very special raffle for AZA providers, with lots of great prizes including movie tickets, AZA t-shirts, gift certificates, and all kinds of other fun stuff. All AZA United employees are eligible for free tickets for this raffle! These tickets are not for sale... There is only one way to get tickets - by signing up for the **new and improved** online timesheets system!!
Starting January 1st, AZA United will be transitioning to a new system of timesheets for ALL employees. This system will simplify many processes internally and make it easier for employees to report their hours without having to confirm faxes. The old online timesheets will be discontinued, so everyone will need to make the switch by then. But if you take the plunge with us a little sooner, you'll be rewarded - with raffle tickets!! (positive reinforcement for a desired behavior) Here's how to get your tickets. If you are already using the new system, you'll automatically get 5 tickets! If you start this month with your September timesheets, you'll get 4 tickets. By October, 3 tickets. November, 2. And if you wait for December...just 1 ticket. But if you wait until January, when everyone will need to switch anyway, you'll get no tickets at all...so why wait? Contact Nicole@azaunited.org to get started today! |
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Parent Handbook Policy: Team Meetings  AZA United recently published and distributed the new 2010 Parent Handbook for all AZA families. If you did not receive your copy, please email Paulina@azaunited.org. Below is a sample from the handbook on a commonly asked question - can habilitators bill for their time during habilitation team meetings?
Sometimes one of the best ways to keep habilitation programs productive is to have regular team meetings with parents, habilitators, and a program supervisor. Team meetings are a time to discuss progress as well as challenges, and review each goal and activity in the current habilitation program. Activities can be updated or revised, and new activities or programs can be added. If the child is present, team meetings can also be a great opportunity for habilitators to observe each other and receive feedback from the parents and supervisor.
DDD typically does not allow more than one person to work with a child at a time. Therefore, all employees are instructed to avoid overlaps on their timesheets. If your child is approved for Behavioral Habilitation ("Hab M" or "Hab B"), DDD allows multiple habilitators to participate in a team meeting with the Hab M or Hab B provider and to bill simultaneously for the same hours.
Unfortunately, if Hab M is not involved, DDD does not currently allow habilitation hours to be used by multiple providers at the same time for a team meeting. AZA United does not currently have another funding source available to pay employees for these hours either. However, employees can receive credit for Professional Development (PD) hours by participating in a team meeting and submitting their notes to our Program Team. PD hours are needed in order for employees to get regular raises.
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Join AZA for 2 Autism Walks this fall  It's that time of the year again! On Saturday, September 25th, families and supporters will gather for the annual Zoo Walk for Autism Research. Form your own team or join Team AZA here! Next month, on Halloween, families and supporters will gather again for the annual Walk Now for Autism Speaks. Form your own team or join Team AZA here! We've got free t-shirts for anyone who wants to join us. Hope to see you there! |
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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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