Arizona Autism

Products & Services

• Occupational therapy

  Our pediatric occupational therapists help kids with autism develop the skills necessary to live day to day, so they can be more independent in all areas of their lives. Our occupational therapy services include fine motor skills, handwriting, self-care and self-help skills, socialization and sensory integration as well as attention development and problem-solving. ​The most important role the occupational therapist will play in your child’s life is assisting in helping your child with sensory processing. This, in turn, removes barriers to learning and helps children with autism become calmer and more focused. Sensory integration therapy for kids with autism is based on the assumption that the child is either “overstimulated” or “under stimulated” by their environment, so occupational therapy is used to improve the ability of the child’s brain to process sensory information – sounds, touch, light, etc. – so the child can function better in their daily activities. ​Occupational therapy is a vital part of caring for kids with autism. Improving a child’s cognitive, physical, sensory and motor skills will also boost their self-esteem and create a powerful sense of accomplishment for the child.

• Speech Therapy

  Autism can affect a child’s speech, language development, and social communication in many ways. A child with autism may not speak at all or may communicate with grunts, cries, shrieks, babbles, or humming. The child may parrot their parents or others repeatedly or make up their own language in an attempt to communicate. ​By working with one of our pediatric speech therapists (or speech-language pathologists), your child gets the attention he or she needs to learn how to communicate with language, including how to have a conversation as well as becoming aware of and able to read both verbal and nonverbal cues from other people (i.e. facial expressions, tone of voice, and body language). ​Pediatric speech therapists also help kids with autism with feeding and swallowing difficulties, cognition, and language development for receptive and expressive modalities.

• Physical Therapy

  Our physical therapists (“PTs”) specialize in the treatment of children with developmental disabilities from ages birth to twenty-one. Most of them are NDT certified and have undergone intensive training to work with children with cerebral palsy and similar neuromuscular disorders. ​At Arizona Autism, our physical therapists use a variety of assessment and treatment techniques to not only identify areas of concern but also capitalize on a child’s strengths in order to improve gross motor skills (i.e. the ability to stand up, walk, jump, and run), functional mobility, strength, flexibility, coordination, balance, proprioceptive awareness, muscular and cardio-vascular endurance, and agility. ​Our physical therapists help children with autism develop “motor planning.” That is, the ability to coordinate their own bodies while at play. As an example, a child may understand how to climb onto a swing and hang but, but he’s unable to coordinate the motions needed to get the swinging moving. Additionally, many kids with autism find it hard to ride a bike or use skates. ​It’s important that a child with autism is free to play. And that in playing, they are equipped with the motor skills, coordination, and agility to be effective and safe. Physical therapy is a critical part of pediatric care for children with autism as it supports how they are able to move in the world – at the playground, at home, at school, and everywhere in life. ​ Our physical therapists also work with parents to teach them techniques they can use to help their child build muscle strength, coordination and gross motor skills at home.

• Habilitation Services

  Habilitation services prepare children with autism to live more independently in their communities through learning and developing new skills, abilities, and behaviors. Common areas of training include self-care and hygiene, communication, socialization, safety, physical and emotional expression, pre-vocational skills, leisure activities, problem solving, and household management. ​With habilitation services, children with autism learn social skills and, when possible, the skills for living independently. Habilitation service providers help foster community inclusion, relationships, self-advocacy, and informed choice by working one-on-one with each client based on the goals and desired outcomes set forth by the individual parent or the child’s pediatric therapy team. Parents and guardians can be trained to provide Habilitation to their adult children. ​Some habilitation services may include job placement support so that adult children with autism are active within their community while earning their own income. Both of which will create a greater level of self-knowing and satisfaction in life.

• Attendant Care

  Raising a child with autism is the biggest commitment a parent will make. Many children and young adults with special needs require assistance with daily living activities and everyday tasks such as bathing, dressing, eating, going to the bathroom, and making meals. ​At Arizona Autism, you can get the attendant care you need that fits your schedule and best supports your child.

• Respite Care

  Parenting is a full-time 24/7 job, and incredibly demanding when raising a child with autism. Our in-home pediatric caregivers give families the much-needed break they deserve. Respite care provides family caregivers, parents and guardians as an example, a break when they need it. Our respite program is specifically designed to let parents and guardians to relax, take a break, and put themselves first for a while, knowing a knowledgeable and trained staff member is seeing to their child’s needs and comfort. ​We can also train and certify relatives and family friends to become respite providers for you.

• ABA Therapy Services

  Arizona Autism is proud to offer our brand new Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) Therapy Services! ABA has proven itself to be a safe therapy to change socially and physically harmful behaviors, including behaviors associated with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). ABA relies on empirical data from direct observation of clients. When our therapists apply the data gathered from direct observation in a clinical setting, ABA has shown to reduce or even remove unwanted negative behaviors.

• Group Homes

  Hello Neighbor, You're reading this because Arizona Autism is operating a home for adults with special needs in this neighborhood. Our residents are choosing to live independently, and we're here to support them to the fullest. Our homes are staffed and supervised 24 hours a day. Additionally, we outfit each home with cameras and security systems to meet the needs of the residents. As neighbors, we wanted you to have our direct phone number just in case of an emergency or if you feel there is something we need to be aware of. If we do not answer right away, you can also chat with us on this website, submit a message to the Contact Us form, and even message us on social media. Please feel free to reach out. We look forward to being a neighbor to you. Check out our website to learn more about our story and what we do for folks all over the valley.