Act 35, An Act Relating to Autism Spectrum Disorders, signed by Governor Douglas, directed the Vermont Agency of Human Services to work collaboratively with the Vermont Department of Education to develop a plan for providing services across the lifespan to individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and their families. The "Report to the Legislature to Address Services for Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders" can be viewed below:

Legislative Report

Many VSHA members have expressed interest in an opportunity to discuss professional issues that are pertinent to their practices. For those of you who haven’t heard about this, there are many ways to make this work. You might decide to gather once every month or two at a local restaurant for dinner, news exchange, and a discussion of a journal article. You might even take it a step further and plan to read a journal article that earns CEUs for your credentialing requirements. Whatever you end up doing, you will create a stronger professional network. In the spirit of getting to know each other better and sharing our talents, we hope you will consider a regional get-together and let us know so that we can post it on the VSHA website.  email: academicprograms@vsha.us.  

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Welcome to the Vermont Speech-Language Hearing Association website.  Come back often, as we frequently post updates in order to keep you well informed about VSHA activities and other information/events relevant to our professions.

This year VSHA is celebrating its 50th anniversary and we plan to party in style, recognizing our past accomplishments and looking forward to future opportunities and growth. Look for details to come about the commemorative event this year.

VSHA has a strong executive board that kept quite busy in 2007 working diligently on many issues important to professionals and consumers, such as:

*  Understanding and beginning to problem solve SLP shortages in Vermont schools through a state-wide coalition

*  Researching the use and supervision of SLPAs in Vermont and making recommendations about the possible need for state policy

*  Revising special education regulations related to speech-language impairments

*  Exploring regional networking opportunities for SLPs

*  Offering quality conferences based on member interests

In 2008, VSHA will continue its work on many of these and other issues outlined in our strategic plan (viewable from the “About VSHA” tab). Look for exceptional conferences coming up this year: Barbara Moore Brown is speaking about “Response to Intervention” in May and Terri Bellis is speaking on “Auditory Processing Disorders” in October.

Forums and chat rooms are available on this website so take advantage of the opportunity to communicate and network with one another. You can check a box in the forums to ensure you are notified when responses are posted regarding a topic of interest. We also encourage VSHA members to support their organization by joining a committee or the executive board: It’s fun and offers great opportunities for professional networking. Visit our Membership page for more information.

I appreciate the opportunity to do this important work for our state, and I look forward to continuing to serve our members as president until Gayle Belin assumes the post in June. VSHA is fortunate to have Gayle’s experienced and competent leadership at the helm to support our members and meet our goals.

We hope that the information contained in these pages will be helpful to you and we encourage you to visit again in the near future. Suggestions are always welcome and they, along with questions, comments, or concerns, may be directed to my attention by emailing me at President@VSHA.us 

Kari Fabrizio, VSHA President