School Director Speaks at Arizona Autism Coalition's "Day of Learning"

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 series.

Mitchell, who has more than 20 years of experience in autism education, from home programming and early intervention to classroom teaching and school administration, led an energetic, audience-driven Q&A with professionals, families, self-advocates and other supporters of autistic and neurodivergent individuals.

Mitchell highlighted AAED’s growth and scope, noting the organization’s five campuses, online school, and comprehensive K–22 programming, including a strong vocational program called the B.R.I.D.G.E. (Building Real-world Independence and Developing a Game-plan for Employment, Education, and Empowerment) program.

For this year’s Day of Learning, Mitchell drew on her decades of front-line experience, Mitchell offered practical guidance about school placement, inclusion, and advocacy.

Get What Your Child Needs

During the Day of Learning speech, she urged parents to be proactive: to tour schools, ask specific questions about services, and request district-level participation when needed.

“If you are not getting what your child needs, you need to request a district administrator be there,” she said, underscoring the importance of documentation and written requests in securing services.

Mitchell also emphasized that inclusion must be meaningful participation, not simply placement in a general classroom.

Know What True Inclusion Looks Like

“Inclusion is when you are participating,” she said. “If they’re just sitting in the back of the room doing different work, that’s not inclusion.”

She recommended targeted inclusion efforts. This is when a school starts with a student’s strongest subject and ensures supports are in place and moves forward. This is rather than tenuous placement that doesn’t provide instruction.

On individualized placement and school choice, Mitchell reminded families that Arizona’s variety of public, charter, and specialized options is a strength: “All schools are not one size fits all…and you have to find a school that is going to fit the needs of your student.”

She encouraged families to leverage school choice and state support (such as ESA), and to use funding specialists or advocates when navigating enrollment and services.

Audience members raised common concerns they have like late diagnoses, transportation, therapy availability, and eligibility assessments. Mitchell responded with clear, actionable steps.

She stressed the importance of follow-up when evaluations haven’t been completed and advised families to put requests in writing to trigger district timelines.

“If you didn’t have a district representative in the meeting, unfortunately, you haven’t started anything,” she said, advising parents to insist on the appropriate personnel and processes.

Mitchell also spoke to educators and administrators in the room, urging open communication between educators and families.

“Please communicate with your teachers,” she quoted to those who hold admin roles. She continued, “go take a sit with them for 10 minutes a day and really get to know them,” she said, encouraging collaborative problem-solving and frequent, specific feedback.

Building Support

Throughout the session, Mitchell balanced real-world candor with empathy, sharing anecdotes from her own parenting and professional experience.

She urged families to build supportive communities through peer groups, shared home-service networks, and parent-to-parent connections that can sustain families through long-term education planning.

“Empowering Future Success” drew a diverse crowd of educators, parents, self-advocates and service providers, reflecting the Arizona Autism Coalition’s mission to connect knowledge and community. Check out Arizona Autism Coatlition’s 2026 Day of Learning Series here!

Mitchell’s practical advice and emphatic advocacy provided attendees with concrete next steps for navigating school systems, advocating for services, and fostering meaningful inclusion for autistic and neurodivergent learners.

Interested in AAED and going on a tour of one of our campuses? Check us out here today!