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Welcome to the Virginia Autism Council's (VAC) Website.
The Virginia Autism Council is a state-supported council of autism experts seeking to define needed skill competencies and to advance higher education, training and educational opportunities for personnel and caregivers supporting individuals with autism.
This website is Virginia's clearinghouse on best practices and research-based education and training opportunities to advance personnel development and knowledge regarding autism in Virginia.
Virginia Autism Council resources include:
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Autism Awareness Month and Throughout the Year,
Virginia Autism Council Continues to Educate
Only days before April 1st, the beginning of national Autism Awareness Month, new studies from the CDC revealed that autism is now estimated to occur in 1 in 88 children, a 23% increase from only three years ago and a 78% increase from five years ago. As of now, there is no one defined cause for the increase and studies continue. While a definitive explanation for the rise in autism numbers is of grave concern, so is the need for supports and services from trained individuals who work with those currently diagnosed with autism. The Virginia Autism Council works to meet that need.
The Virginia Autism Council (VAC) is an interagency group whose membership includes family members and different service and support representatives from across Virginia who support people with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) across the life span. Its mission is to provide leadership, coordination, and collaboration for state agencies and service providers to increase knowledge and understanding of ASD in order to maximize outcomes for Virginians with autism.
In 2004, the VAC developed the “Skill Competencies for Professionals and Paraprofessionals in Virginia Supporting Individuals with Autism across the Lifespan.” In 2010, VAC reviewed and revised the Skill Competencies. The Skill Competencies are used statewide and provide a comprehensive list of skills and knowledge needed to effectively serve individuals with ASD. They have been used as a model by other states as well as the Council for Exceptional Children. The VAC also developed a Professional Development Tracker based on the competencies that allows individuals and organizations to track educational development in autism.
The VAC provides a clearinghouse for educational and training opportunities across the state on its website, www.autismtrainingva.org. The website, which is being updated, provides an online training calendar with information on training opportunities throughout Virginia that advance personnel development and knowledge about autism.
The Council also created a number of trainings on topics related to ASD. The trainings are packaged and designed to be used by both VAC members as well as other agencies and have been delivered collaboratively throughout the Commonwealth. Training on “Strategies for Supporting Adolescents and Adults with ASD”, “Learning, Living and Working with Asperger’s Syndrome”, and “Transition to Adulthood with ASD: What Parents and Guardians Need to Know” have been delivered to hundreds of service providers, educators, and families in Virginia. A webinar on early identification, assessment and characteristics of autism was also developed. In addition, the VAC collaborated with the VCU Autism Center for Excellence to developed, “My Child was Just Identified with Autism. Now What Do I Do?” an online, self-paced course for parents, childcare providers, support staff and other interested parties to complete at their own pace.
The Virginia Autism Council continues to find ways to work across agencies, partners and communities to offer high quality information and training throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia. During Autism Awareness month and through the year, the VAC demonstrates its commitment to increasing the awareness and educational opportunities in the field of autism.
For additional details and information please visit www.autismtrainingva.org or contact Samantha Marsh Hollins, samantha.marsh@doe.virginia.gov.
The Virginia Autism Council now has a Facebook! Just go to Virginia Autism Council [https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Virginia-Autism-Council/288712091154506] and click on “LIKE”, to get the information posted to your wall.
Virginia now has a Guidance Document for Early Intervention Services concerning Autism.
It can be viewed at: http://infantva.org/documents/pr-PartC-ASD-Guidance.pdf
Free online trainings have been posted in the online training area.
There are a variety of training opportunities throughout Virginia during the spring months. Be sure to view the Calendar of Training for a complete list.
Colleges and universities that offer a comprehensive certificate program in autism spectrum disorders or provide a general overview course in autism spectrum disorders are encouraged to submit their course information to the Virginia Autism Council for review. Due to budget constraints, beginning in 2012, the VAC will be unable to provide reimbursement for coursework completed in these programs. For more information, look under Higher Education Certificate/Coursework Recognition Program in the resources section of this web page.
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