Frequently Asked Questions

The best school is the one that can appropriately support your child's academic profile, communication, sensory needs, social-emotional development, behavior, independence, and future goals. Families should look at accreditation, class size and staffing, academic pathways, integrated supports, safety practices, family communication, school culture, and transition planning. A-FITS brings those pieces together within an autism-specialized private-school model.

A-FITS is a Cognia-accredited, autism-specialized private school serving students across multiple Arizona campuses. Our model combines individualized academics, High Functioning Autism Programming, Functional Academic Programming, Speech and Occupational Therapy, School Based ABA, Sensory Integration, Social-Emotional Learning, life skills, school experiences, and transition readiness. We are built around the belief that the school should adapt to the student.

Yes. Autism F.I.T.S. Academy is fully accredited by Cognia. Accreditation reflects our commitment to educational quality, accountability, organizational effectiveness, and continuous improvement.

A-FITS serves students in grades 1 through 12 through FITS Elementary™, FITS Middle™, and FITS High School™ programming.

A-FITS has campuses in Glendale, Scottsdale / Paradise Valley, and Mesa, Arizona, serving families throughout Maricopa County and the greater Phoenix metropolitan area.

F.I.T.S. originally stood for Functional Instruction & Transition Services. Those ideas remain foundational to A-FITS: making learning meaningful and accessible to the individual student while building the skills needed for greater independence and life beyond school.

A-FITS is an autism-specialized school. Our primary population is students diagnosed with autism, including students with a wide range of learning profiles and support needs. We also consider students with an MDSSI educational eligibility when the student's profile aligns with our autism-specialized programming and A-FITS can appropriately meet the student's needs.

MDSSI refers to Multiple Disabilities with a Severe Sensory Impairment. A-FITS does serve students with MDSSI when the student's overall profile is appropriate for our autism-specialized educational model. Admissions decisions are individualized and consider the student's complete learning and support needs.

Yes. A-FITS serves students with autism who present with PDA profiles. Students with significant demand avoidance may need a highly individualized approach that emphasizes relationship, predictability, meaningful choice, flexibility, regulation, communication, and carefully designed expectations. The student's needs are considered as part of the admissions and programming process.

Yes. A-FITS serves students across Levels 1, 2, and 3. Support level alone does not determine academic ability, placement, or program. We look at the student's complete profile and determine what combination of academics, communication, sensory, behavioral, social-emotional, and independence supports are appropriate.

Yes. Many A-FITS students are academically capable and may work at grade level or above grade level while needing autism-specific support with executive functioning, organization, flexibility, social communication, sensory regulation, anxiety, self-advocacy, or navigating a traditional school environment.

No. Behavior is not an automatic exclusion. A-FITS is not a behavior school, but behavioral support is part of our expertise. We consider the purpose and intensity of behavior, communication, safety, staffing, classroom fit, and whether our program can responsibly support the student.

High Functioning Autism Programming is designed for academically capable students with autism who may participate in grade-level, traditional, or college-preparatory academics while receiving autism-specific supports such as executive functioning, social communication, sensory support, flexibility, organization, emotional regulation, and self-advocacy.

Functional Academic Programming connects reading, writing, mathematics, communication, technology, money skills, schedules, community participation, workplace information, and daily living to practical real-world use and growing independence.

Yes. Academic pathways are not all-or-nothing. A student may participate in more traditional academics in one subject and functional academics in another. Programming is based on the student's instructional level, strengths, support needs, and future goals.

Yes. FITS High School™ includes traditional academic programming for students who are working toward grade-level or credit-bearing coursework, as appropriate. A-FITS also provides Functional Academic Programming for students who need a more practical or modified academic pathway. Some students use a combination of both.

No. Individualization means changing how a student accesses learning when necessary, not automatically lowering expectations. A-FITS works to provide meaningful academic challenge at the student's instructional level while giving the student the structure and supports needed to make progress.

A-FITS is a private school and develops its own Individualized Learning Plan, or ILP. Existing IEPs, METs, evaluations, progress reports, and other records can help us understand a student's history and needs, but A-FITS does not author or administer a public-school IEP. The A-FITS ILP identifies current levels, individualized goals, priorities, and progress within our program.

A-FITS uses an approximately 4:1 student-to-staff ratio, not including the classroom teacher, and classrooms have a maximum of 12 students. This staffing model supports small-group instruction, individualized learning, communication support, regulation, and meaningful adult support throughout the school day.

A-FITS uses a consistent Structured Teaching approach across campuses. Physical structure, daily schedules, work systems, and visual supports help students understand the environment, know what is expected, move through the day more independently, and generalize familiar routines across grade levels and classrooms.

Speech and Occupational Therapy are integrated into the school environment using a push-in and natural-environment model whenever appropriate. Therapists can work within classrooms, school routines, and community activities so students can practice skills where they are actually used. Pull-out support may also be used when an individual student needs it.

Yes. A-FITS uses School Based ABA principles and strategies as part of the educational environment. ABA may support communication, skill acquisition, replacement behaviors, participation, independence, and positive behavior support. Strategies may include Functional Communication Training, DRA, DRO, and other evidence-based practices selected for the individual student.

No. A-FITS is a private school, not an ABA clinic. School Based ABA is one component of a broader educational model that also includes academics, Speech, Occupational Therapy, Sensory Integration, Social-Emotional Learning, life skills, student experiences, and transition planning.

Yes. Sensory Integration is built into the A-FITS school experience. All three campuses have a sensory gym, and students may use movement, environmental supports, sensory strategies, and OT-informed approaches to improve regulation, participation, and independence.

Yes. Every A-FITS classroom is video and audio monitored. This is an important part of our commitment to student safety, transparency, accountability, and staff development. Monitoring also allows school leadership to review situations with greater context, identify patterns or antecedents when needed, and support continuous improvement while maintaining student privacy.

Many A-FITS students may have communication differences or may not always be able to fully explain what happened during a school day. Video and audio monitoring gives school leadership an additional source of objective information when reviewing incidents, behavior patterns, staff practices, safety concerns, or classroom situations. It is one more way A-FITS works to protect students and maintain accountability.

A-FITS can provide intensive individualized support when a student's assessed needs and data support that level of intervention. The goal is to provide the level of support the student needs while building skills and independence over time. The availability and structure of 1:1 support are determined individually rather than automatically.

A-FITS does not rely on one single methodology. We use multiple evidence-based practices and individualized teaching approaches, including Structured Teaching, visual supports, differentiated instruction, School Based ABA strategies, communication supports, Sensory Integration, small-group instruction, direct instruction, natural-environment teaching, and other approaches based on the student.

Start by contacting A-FITS and scheduling a campus tour. Families then complete an application and provide the requested records so our team can review the student's academic profile, communication, sensory needs, behavior, independence, current supports, and overall program fit. If A-FITS can appropriately support the student and space is available, the family moves into enrollment.

A medical diagnosis is made by a qualified medical or clinical professional. An educational eligibility determination is made through the public-school special-education evaluation process and identifies whether a student meets criteria for special-education services in a particular eligibility category. Families may have one, the other, or both.

A medical diagnosis of autism may be used as part of the admissions record. A-FITS reviews the student's complete documentation and profile to determine program fit. Funding programs such as ESA may have their own documentation and eligibility requirements that are separate from A-FITS admissions.

MET evaluations are part of the public-school special-education process. Families seeking a new or updated MET should work with the appropriate Arizona public school or school district. A-FITS can use existing MET, IEP, medical, psychological, and other evaluation records to help understand the student, but A-FITS develops its own ILP.

Yes. A-FITS accepts Arizona Empowerment Scholarship Account funding. ESA eligibility and program requirements are determined by the Arizona Department of Education. A-FITS can help families understand how ESA fits into our enrollment and tuition process.

Families may use eligible Arizona ESA funding, scholarships from School Tuition Organizations, or private-pay tuition. Scholarship eligibility, award amounts, application timelines, and rules are determined by the applicable funding organization.

Yes, families moving to Arizona may begin exploring A-FITS while planning their move. A-FITS admissions and Arizona ESA eligibility are separate processes. ESA categories and documentation requirements are established by the Arizona Department of Education, so families should review current ADE requirements while completing the A-FITS admissions process.

A-FITS may request the application, birth certificate, proof of residency, immunization records, the most recent IEP and MET when available, medical or psychological evaluations, ESA documentation when applicable, academic or progress records, and other information that helps us understand the student.

Yes. All A-FITS campuses offer RISE Extended School Day. RISE provides before- and after-school programming in a familiar school environment with opportunities for recreation, peer connection, socialization, activities, and decompression. Hours vary by campus.

A-FITS transportation is currently offered through the Glendale Campus only and is operating on a waitlist. Glendale transportation is a home-to-school service using A-FITS passenger vans. Scottsdale/PV and Mesa do not currently offer A-FITS transportation.

A-FITS does not currently operate a school lunch program. Families provide their child's lunch. Students may bring cold or prepared food, and microwaves are available for food that needs reheating. A-FITS does not participate in a federal school lunch program.

Not necessarily. Each year A-FITS reviews student needs, classrooms, staffing, peer groupings, academic programming, and campus operations. Teacher and classroom assignments may change when school leadership believes a different placement will better support the student or the overall classroom.

A-FITS uses ClassDojo for classroom communication, along with the Parent Portal, email, phone calls, campus announcements, and direct communication from teachers and school leadership. Families should follow communication from their specific campus for current schedules and events.

Activities vary by campus and school year, but A-FITS regularly creates opportunities for families to participate in school life. Events may include school dances, spirit days, Fall Festival, Thanksgiving celebrations, days in the park, performances, seasonal activities, family celebrations, and other campus gatherings.

A-FITS follows a traditional school-year calendar, generally beginning in August. Exact start dates, parent events, breaks, half-days, and campus activities are published through current school and campus communications.

Transition readiness is developed throughout a student's education rather than waiting until the final year of high school. Communication, self-advocacy, executive functioning, daily living, social development, community participation, and independence can all be developed over time and become increasingly future-focused as students get older.

FITS Forward™ is the high-school transition framework that connects the student's school experience with life after high school. It brings together high school academics, life skills, independence, self-advocacy, vocational exploration, community participation, and planning for what comes next.

Yes. Through FITS Beyond™ and FITS Forward™, students can work on vocational exploration, pre-employment skills, communication, self-advocacy, money skills, independent living, community participation, adult-service planning, recreation, relationships, and other individualized transition priorities.