Arizona Autism United
(602) 773-5773 [office]
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Upcoming Events
AZA Family Event with Golden Retrievers
January 21
Local park (Phoenix area)
ISP Preparation Workshops for AZA Families
January 23
AZA United (Phoenix)
Free Training for AZA Employees & Families: Motivating Kids to Try New Foods
January 26
AZA United (Phoenix)
Hab-M Parent Orientation
January 28
AZA United (Phoenix)
Helping Hands Parent Orientation
January 28
AZA United (Phoenix)
Community Autism Conference for Parents & Professionals
February 17 & 18
Disability Empowerment Center of AZ (Phoenix)
Contact us for more information on any of these events!
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Link of the Month
Parents and therapists can now get ABA tips 24 hours a day from CARD's new web show, Skills LIVE. CLICK HERE |
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Annual Autism Conference Returns this February
Registration is now open for the 2nd annual Community Autism Conference for Parents & Professionals. Click here to visit the conference website for all the details, or click here for a PDF flyer with the full schedule and registration form.
This conference will be unlike any other. There will be multiple tracks of stimulating presentations from some of our best local experts, hands-on activities, a theatrical performance, an art show, horses and dogs, activities for kids, a cooking class, free catered lunch on a 360-view rooftop, a cocktail reception, and...dare we say it...MORE!
Our special guests from out-of-state this year include: - Jon Bailey, Ph.D., from Florida State University. Jon is one of the most well regarded Behavior Analysts in the world and an expert on ethics. He will draw from his decades of experience to help parents and professionals in all fields by analyzing an unexpected source of influence: Steve Jobs.
- Actor-comedian Mike Guido will join us from California 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!
Early registration discounts are available until February 10, but space is filling up quickly. Additional discounts are offered to AZA families and AZA employees, and a limited number of scholarships are available for parents in Arizona. Visit the conference website for more details or contact us at info@azaunited.org.
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Get to Know Your Conference Speakers
This year's Community Autism Conference for Parents & Professionals features a range of talented speakers and experts in different fields from around the state. Visit the Speaker Bios page on the conference website for more details. Here are a few you won't want to miss:
Marti Baio, Speech & Language Pathologist
Baio Enterprises
Presentation topic: Facilitating Social Interaction
Raun Melmed, Developmental Pediatrician and Medical Director
The Melmed Center & SARRC
Presentation topic: Recent Advances and Clinical Experience
Dr. Robin Blitz, Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrician
Phoenix Children's Hospital
Presentation topic: Partnering with your Doctor
Dr. Dan Davidson, Behavior Analyst & Project Director
Northern Arizona University, Institute for Human Development
Presentation topic: Function-Based Interventions for Students
Dr. Joseph Gentry, Psychologist and Behavior Analyst
Gentry Pediatric Behavioral Services
Presentation topic: Intervention Strategies for Eating Problems
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Grand Opening for the Sports & Fitness Center
 Have you heard about SpoFit, the new sports and fitness center for people with disabilities and their families? Take it from us - it is AMAZING! Located on the same campus as AZA United's home base (the Disability Empowerment Center), SpoFit is a state-of-the-art facility with basketball courts, weights and exercise machines, swimming pools, a rock climbing wall, and lots of great fitness classes to join. Membership is very affordable and available to any person with a disability and their family, as well as all AZA United employees. At SpoFit, children and people with autism can participate in all kinds of fitness activities in a highly supportive environment that is built for accessibility. For more information, visit www.SpoFit.org. Come by for the grand opening on February 24 and 25.
We at AZA United are now planning a summer program for kids at SpoFit. More details are coming soon, but if you're interested now please send an email to summer@azaunited.org.
SpoFit will also be a part of AZA United's conference next month. On Friday, we'll have hands-on classes for habilitators, parents or other professionals to learn techniques and activities for doing yoga and sports games for kids with autism, either one-on-one or in group settings. On Saturday, kids are invited! We'll have yoga and sports games for kids of all ages in the morning, and rock climbing in the early afternoon. Parents attending the conference can sign up their child and siblings for just $5 each. Kids will need to be accompanied by an adult (such as a habilitator or another family member). This is a unique opportunity and we hope to see many of you there! For more details on the conference activities at SpoFit, visit the Special Activities section of the conference website.
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Jon Bailey & Mary Burch Host Ethics Workshop
The AZA United Program Team is very excited to welcome two rock stars in the field of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) to Arizona - Jon Bailey & Mary Burch! Known across the world among behavior analysts, the Bailey & Burch ethics guidebook for practitioners is one of the most commonly referenced sources on the topic. Dr. Bailey is also known as an excellent presenter and a student of Presentation Zen, a favorite book of AZA's executive director (which he discovered via Jon). Dr. Bailey will be the keynote speaker on Friday at the AZA conference, but BCBAs and other interested professionals can attend a pre-conference CEUs workshop with Bailey & Burch on Thursday, February 16. For more information or to register, click here. This workshop is being collaboratively hosted by AZA United, SARRC, and AZ ABA. All participants will be invited to join the presenters for dinner after the workshop. Tell your friends!
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Join us for the Great Hearts Awards
 Please join us for a ceremony and cocktail reception on Friday night, February 17, for the 2nd annual Great Hearts Awards. All AZA families, employees, and conference guests are invited to honor the the hard work and dedication of our habilitation therapists. A few of our team members will be sharing some memorable stories from their experience. This is a great event for employees to connect and share your passion for what you do to help children with autism and their families. Also sharing stories this year will be Aaron Blocher-Rubin, Executive Director of AZA United, and special guest Rich Maston, Clinical Director of Lauren's Institute for Education (LIFE). This event is free and includes catered hors d'oeuvres and cocktails. Contact us at RSVP@AZAunited.org to let us know you are coming, and feel free to bring a guest. For more event information, visit the Special Activities section of our conference website. Join us for a night to remember! |
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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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