Arizona Autism United
(602) 773-5773 [office]
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Upcoming Events
Online Timesheets & Progress Report Trainings
January 11th
January 13th
January 18th
January 20th
January 25th
January 27th
AZA United (Phoenix)
Social Thinking Video Seminar
AZA Night with the Coyotes
February 12th
Jobing.com Arena (Glendale)
ISP Preparation Workshops
January 21st
February 15th
AZA United (Phoenix)
Great Hearts Award Ceremony
February 18th
AZA United (Phoenix)
AZA Afternoon with the Suns
March 13th
US Airways Arena (Phoenix)
AZ Autism Coalition Health & Wellness Event
February 16th
Disability Empowerment Center (Phoenix)
Contact us for more information on any of these events!
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Link of the Month
Stay informed with current research! The Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders (JADD) has a webpage to see new publications online for free before they go to print.
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Join the Family Events Planning Email Group
 An invitation to all AZA parents! If you have ever enjoyed attending an AZA family event, why not help us choose what we do next? Our goal is to host at least one family event in different parts of the community each month, and they can only get better with your ideas. We have set up a new email group for parents. Each month we send out some ideas and get feedback, and parents can also send their ideas any time to the rest of the group. Our family events coordinator, Paulina Tiffany, also posts messages to see if group members are available to help plan or run any of the events. It is not required but certainly helps and can be a lot of fun! The email group is also a place where parents can share information about other events that are not related to AZA United but may be of interest to other families. If you would like to be added to the Family Events email group, please contact Paulina at paulina@azaunited.org or 602-773-5780. We look forward to hearing from you!
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ISP Preparation Workshop for Parents
AZA United has a new monthly ISP Preparation Workshop available to all AZA parents. The next class will be on January 21st, from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm. Please contact us by phone, or email paulina@azaunited.org to sign up. The purpose of these workshops is to help families prepare for your next ISP, IFSP or 90 day review meeting. We recommend attending at least 2 months in advance of your meeting date if possible, and you are welcome to attend more than once. The workshop will include a review of the new DDD service descriptions and policies, resources for drafting appropriate and individualized functional outcomes, and general tips on how to conduct a productive meeting. The next date will be weekday morning in February. Please register as soon as possible to hold your spot!
AZA United would like to thank the Arizona Association for Economic Development (AAED) for providing a grant to make this new program possible.
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Save the Date: Employee Great Hearts Award Party
 We would like to extend a sincere thanks and appreciation to all of the employees who submitted a personal experience story of working with a child with autism. We were incredibly moved by all of the submissions, and picking a winner will not be easy! Everyone who submitted a story will be contacted with more opportunities, and we will host a special Employee Party and Great Hearts Award Ceremony on the evening of Friday, February 18th. Save the date! We would like to invite all AZA employees to this event, which will include professional development credit hours. We would also like to invite all families and supporters of AZA United! More information is coming soon. We look forward to seeing you all there!
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Administrative Updates for Employees & Families
All AZA families and employees should have received notice regarding some administrative changes for 2011. All employees are now using the new online timesheets system (for more details, click here). Six training classes are available this month for employees to get hands-on assistance with online timesheets, as well as progress reports and accessing your payroll information online. Contact Gail@AZAunited.org if you have any questions! Parents will also be receiving emails soon with new forms needed for client files. If you need a hardcopy mailed instead or have any questions, please just contact us. Families who participate in the Hab M program will also be getting a letter soon describing some improvements and changes to our program.
We will also soon be distributing an updated 2011 Parent Handbook. All AZA families should already have the 2010 Parent Handbook, which describes all programs, resources, policies, procedures, and other valuable recommendations and information in-depth. If you do not have a copy of the current version, please contact paulina@azaunited.org.
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ASU Resources for College Students with Autism
Contributed by Garret Westlake, Director of the Disability Resource Center at ASU Polytechnic Campus
Dear members of the Arizona autism community,
It is my pleasure to invite you to the First Annual Arizona State University (ASU) Community Conversation on Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) in Higher Education. Please join us Saturday, January 29, 2011, from 8a.m. to 12:30p.m., on ASU's Polytechnic campus. Participants will learn about innovative programs at the local and national level that offer increasing opportunities for individuals with ASD. Please RSVP for this event by calling the ASU Polytechnic Disability Resource Center at (480) 727-1039. This event will be held in the ASU Student Union Cooley Ballrooms on the Polytechnic campus. We look forward to seeing you in January!
First Annual ASU Community Conversation on ASD in Higher Education
8:00 - Refreshments/registration
8:30 - Welcome, Garret Westlake MEd
8:45 - Opening, ASU leadership
9:00 - Kids with Autism Can, Katie & Todd Murwin
9:30 -ASU Executive Director of High School Relations, Dr. Mark Duplissis
10:00 - break
10:15 - ASD in Higher Education, Garret Westlake MEd
11:30 - Bright Angel Software, Dr. Brenda McCaffrey and Anne Kirchgessner
12pm - Closing
12:15pm -Campus tours (optional)
How to contact Garret:
Garret.Westlake@asu.edu or 480-727-1039
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Autism Awareness Night with the Phoenix Coyotes
 Join AZA United for a special autism awareness night with the Phoenix Coyotes on Saturday, February 12th! Discount tickets are now available for both upper and lower level seats, and everyone who buys a ticket through AZA United will be entered into a drawing for 4 lucky fans to watch player warm-ups from the Penalty Box!! On the same night, Arizona Autism United will be honored as a 2010 grant recipient from Coyotes Charities, and an informational booth will be in the main concourse to promote autism awareness. Upper level seats are only $32, and lower level seats are $65. These are discounted from the regular prices of $39 and $82, and a portion of your sale will support Arizona Autism United. Everyone's invited, so spread the word and bring your friends! Contact us to reserve your seats - space is limited! Ticket orders can be placed by visiting www.AZAunited.org or clicking here.
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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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