Who We Are
For more than two decades, The Institute has been driven by a mission to make a positive difference - built on a respect for differences - in the lives of the people we serve. As a private, non-profit human service and educational organization based in Vermont, we provide treatment and supports to people with special and educational needs throughout New England and in Maryland. Consultation and training programs to families, schools, human service organizations, and governmental agencies across the United States complete our comprehensive system of services.
The Institute's approach to services starts with a commitment to the individual. By addressing the unique needs of each person, we are able to provide successful services to people with a variety of diagnosis throughout the course of their lives. The Institute's ability to provide compassionate services to people with behavioral challenges and complex medical needs has won us wide recognition and made us a leader in the effort to support adults and children with disabilities in their homes, schools, and neighborhoods.
Combining respect, compassion, and commitment with a high level of technical expertise is a key element of our success. The Institute is comprises of staff who have extensive experience and training in behaviorally based technologies and who actively contribute to the field through publications, presentations, workshops, and teaching as adjunct faculty in institutions of higher learning. Our intensive employee training program, college internships, and support for graduate work in applied behavior analysis enables us to attract and retain qualified and dedicated staff. Using well-documented, evidence-based treatments and supports allows us to translate an individual's goals and aspirations into meaningful accomplishments.
Our Mission
The Institute seeks to make a positive difference in the lives of children and adults with developmental and other special learning and behavioral needs. Making a meaningful difference begins with respect, compassion and commitment.
Our History
The Institute evolved in response to the social policies of the 70’s and 80’s, when thousands of people with developmental and psychiatric disabilities left institutions and returned to their local communities. Once there, however, they found that neighborhoods were ill-equipped to provide the specialized services they needed. Beginning in 1980, the founding professionals of The Institute stepped in to fill that service void. This uniquely qualified group of colleagues had experience providing community-based programs for adults and children with behavioral challenges and learning needs. In fact, their programs in Vermont received national recognition for service excellence from the U.S. Departments of Education and Labor.
At first, we offered technical assistance and consultation. However, our tenure as exclusively a consulting agency was short-lived. The Institute soon answered the appeals of parent groups and governmental agencies to become a direct service provider. The chronicle of the Institute’s work within Vermont, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Massachusetts and Maryland from 1985 forward reflects the changing demands and interests of those we support, who first sought individualized residential services, and then meaningful participation in the work, leisure, and civic activities of their communities. Their success, and our diverse activities, breadth of experience and reputation for quality have made us a leader in the effort to support people with disabilities in the community.
Our belief in listening to the voice of those we serve was again called upon in the 1990's when parents and advocacy groups brought to the nations attention that an alarming number of children were being diagnosed with autism, a once rare disorder. In response, the Institute joined the effort to provide services to these children and families, bringing to bear a long standing history of working with both adults and children on the autism spectrum. As a result, our service system grew to include a vast number of programs for youth including birth to three, early intervention, elementary, secondary and high school education in addition to our adult service options.
Our Beliefs about the Individuals We Support
- Uniqueness: Each person receiving support is fully unique; his or her path toward growth and citizenship can be guided with compassion and competence by staff who are trained in the best practices of the profession.
- Individuality: Individuals’ and their families’ goals and hopes determine the nature of the efforts we respectfully make on their behalf.
- Personhood is determined by an ability to choose; our objective for each child and adult is to assist in developing this ability to its utmost.
- Compassion: Compassionate support and teaching take advantage of people’s strengths and helps them compensate, through learning, for areas of need.
- Commitment to those with exceptionality implies a pledge to expect success and unlimited achievement.
- Evidence-based treatment: Closely tracking people’s accomplishments, and continually revising teaching strategies using research and clinical advances in our field, create opportunities for continued success.
- Responsive Environments: People’s living and learning environments must be interesting, adaptable, stable and respectful.
- Values-based: All members of our teams must know about and share a commitment to our value system, and use it actively in order to continuously do better.
- Independence: One of our most important roles is to promote autonomy and self-advocacy so that people are assisted in removing barriers to their fulfillment.
- Professional Competence: Commitment, coupled with respect for the individual, means there is always an answer; professional competence, dedication and teamwork can lead to creative solutions to people’s most perplexing problems.
- Mutuality: Those we serve educate us by their uniqueness and their progress, and enrich our lives by their friendship. At times of vulnerability, strong bonds between people are formed.
The Children and Adults We Support
The Institute provides services to people of all ages who experience special learning, behavioral, medical, and neuropsychiatric problems often referred to as developmental disabilities.
These include:
- Autism Spectrum Disorders such as Asperger syndrome, autism, Rett disorder, Childhood disintegrative disorder and pervasive developmental disorder
- Central language processing disorders
- Intellectual disabilities associated with Down syndrome, Fragile X syndrome, Cornelia de Lange syndrome and other conditions
- Degenerative and rare genetic conditions
- Acquired learning disabilities
- Deafness, blindness and deaf blindness
- Traumatic brain injury
Physical disabilities such as cerebral palsy- Attention Deficit (ADD) and Hyperactivity (ADHD) disorders
- Seizure disorders
- Reactions to abuse and neglect
- Behavioral health needs
- Medical complexities
- Dual mental health/intellectual disability
- People’s learning needs, and a willingness to explore with us the possibilities of treatment and care using best practices, originality and creativity, are what guide treatment.