Offering Individualized
Educational Programs For K-12 Students
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Shannon Mitchell, Executive Director of the Arizona Autism Academy for Education and Development (AAED), was the featured speaker at “Empowering Future Success,” part of the Arizona Autism Coalition’s 2025 Day of Learning Series on Saturday, October 18, 2025, at the Desert Willow Conference Center in Phoenix. AAED was also a Scholarship Sponsor of the 2025…
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Learning about PECS and How it Helps with Communication PECS (Picture Exchange Communication System) is a simple, step-by-step way to teach someone to communicate using pictures, photos, or symbols. It’s made for people who have little or no speech, and it starts with a really basic idea: if you want something, hand someone a picture…
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Across Arizona, more schools are realizing that growth is about more than test scores. Academics matter, but research and experience show that students thrive when their emotional well-being is nurtured alongside reading, writing, and math. When children feel safe, understood, and supported, they approach school with greater confidence, curiosity, and resilience. That’s why at AAED,…
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Great news for families in North Phoenix! The Autism Academy for Education and Development (AAED), Arizona’s autism-only K–12+ academy, recently opened their brand new North Phoenix Campus designed specifically for students on the autism spectrum. This purpose-built location brings AAED’s fully accredited programs, integrated therapies, and student-first mission closer to more families across the Valley…
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Meeting the Growing Demand for Autism-Specific Education and Services with the Autism Academy for Education and Development (AAED) By Anthony KaDarrell Thigpen Over the past decade, the world has witnessed a significant surge in the diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This spike in diagnoses has highlighted the pressing need for specialized education and…
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The Alphabet Soup of Special Education IDEA, FAPE, MET, IEP… What? Like many specialized areas, special education comes with its own language. For those who are just starting out on their educational journey, it can look a bit like alphabet soup. So what does it all mean? IDEA stands for the Individuals with Disabilities Education…
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October marks Sensory Processing Awareness Month! This month is all about recognizing and supporting the 1 out of every 20 people with unique sensory needs around the world. Here at Autism Academy we know that all of our students need some kind of sensory support throughout the day. And, we meet those sensory needs always.…
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This school year kicks off our 10th academic year! Opened in 2013, we welcomed just 24 students and 4 teachers. Since then, we’ve grown to over 640 students and 56 autism teachers. Our campuses offer a wide variety of classroom programs for students in Kindergarten – 12th grade and beyond. Our specialized supports are able…
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Today is Autism Awareness Day. As many of you know, I have autism myself, as I am on the spectrum with high-functioning Asperger’s Syndrome. I’d like to talk about autism, how it’s changed my life, and what I’ve learned about it. Being autistic has largely made me not normal in life although I seem normal…
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Finding the right school for any child can be a daunting task, especially if that child is on the spectrum. If you’ve made the decision to go with an adapted school as opposed to a mainstream school, you may be wondering where to start your search. Autism Academy has a list of three things you…
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