We at AZA United would like to wish everyone and their families a happy holiday season! We are so grateful for your support and the opportunity to help you, and we look forward to some new and exciting programs in 2012.  Many of these new programs will not be funded by DDD, so fundraising is more important than ever.  A few projects include a summer camp, social groups, sports programs, and peer sensitivity training in schools.  We need the community's support, and we have come up with an easy way for you to help.

We have created some small and simple awareness cards and would like to send you a few to share.  You can put them as an insert in your holiday cards, or simply hand them out to your friends, family, co-workers or neighbors.  These cards give a little information about Arizona Autism United and an invitation to consider AZA for an end-of-year charitable donation.  You don't need to follow up so there's no pressure on you, but if someone chooses to donate they can do so in honor of your child and family.  If you'd like to help, just email Aaron@AZAunited.org and we'll send you a stack of cards to hand out as you please.  To preview the card, click here. The actual size is 4x6, just small enough to fit in a normal envelope.

Some of our parent volunteers who serve on the Fundraising Committee thought of this idea as a simple way for the AZA United community to come together and help us raise funds without any strings attached.  Thank you for being part of the AZA family, and we wish you great joy and peace through this holiday season!

Warmest wishes,

Aaron Blocher-Rubin

Executive Director

• Dr. Raun Melmed
• Dr. Dan Davidson
• Dr. Joe Gentry
• Marti Baio
• Birgit Lurie 
• Dr. Robin Blitz

We also have two out-of-state featured speakers this year!   

• On Friday, Jon Bailey, Ph.D., is coming from Florida State University.  Jon is one of the most well regarded Behavior Analysts in the world and will draw from his decades of experience to help parents and professionals in all fields. 
       
• On Saturday, actor-comedian Mike Guido will join us from Oregon to do his theatrical performance about having a daughter with autism.  "A Real Man" has been getting rave reviews around the country as funny, heartfelt, and utterly unique.  This show is one-of-a-kind! 

Congratulations to Juana Perez, our employee of the month!  According to Miguel Silva, AZA parent: 

I would like to express my gratitude to AZA United and especially to our provider Juana Perez for her invaluable help. She has been working with my son Michael for years. Her hard work and unconditional love have made it possible for him to achieve many goals. Because of all the effort that Juana has put into Michael's habilitation programs, he has learned to manage his behaviors and is no longer taking medication to control his hyperactivity. We have seen great improvement in Michael's performance at school, as he is more focused and participates more in class. We believe that this is due in great part to all the work that Juana has done at home with Michael! Michael has also learned to manage his anger and his tantrums have decreased greatly. He has gained a number of self-help skills through his habilitation programs with Juana. Michael is now able to shower independently, even adjust the water temperature, dry himself, chose his outfits and get dressed on his own. Michael truly loves Juana and he enjoys every minute with her. Currently Juana is teaching Michael to improve his social skills, as well as be aware of dangerous situations and how to avoid them. Michael is also learning to go shopping to get items for his personal use so he someday will be able to do this independently. Although Michael still has challenges and needs to continue progressing, we are confident that with Juana's love and hard work he will continue to succeed! We know there is still a long road to go until Michael becomes entirely independent, but we also know that as long as Juana and AZA United are part of my son's team we are all on the right track.   

Parents - do you have a habilitation therapist that goes above and beyond?  A great way to say thank you is to send your nominations for the next Employee of the Month to GreatWork@AZAunited.org  

AZA United would like to thank Cox Charities and Coyotes Charities for selecting AZA United as a 2011 grant recipient to help fund our new Peer Sensitivity Training program!  By lending this support, we are now prepared to launch this program in 2012 in schools across the valley.   

This training is geared toward typically developing classmates of children with autism, to help them better understand the unique challenges associated with autism and how to be a good friend.  Needs addressed  include:

Peer recognition of autism - recognize the reasons behind behavioral, social, communication, and learning challenges associated with autism and provide strategies for interacting with peers with autism.

Positive social interaction - fostering an accepting group environment in which children with autism grow in their interpersonal skills, successfully participate in social settings, and benefit more richly in school, sport and social settings.

Autism awareness - helping teachers, group leaders and typical children understand that children with autism often act differently, how to interpret their actions, and how best to respond and to develop meaningful relationships with a child with autism.

Successful social interaction for future success - children with autism have brighter futures when they have the support and understanding of family, teachers, group leaders, classmates and friends. For students with autism, time spent in school and group settings may be the most developmentally influential experience of their lives. Making the most out of this time is an essential part of autism intervention and may lead to greater independence and academic success in the future.

This program will be available in 2012.  If you are interested in learning more or receiving this service, please contact peers@azaunited.org.