To the top ^^ Close ^^

Committee Updates: October 2025

ISHA committees continue to work on behalf of the profession and the association. 

ISHA’s Evidence-based Practice Committee has a student of a committee member presenting a poster at the upcoming 2026 ISHA Convention.  A committee member is also presenting a session at convention.  A journal club is in the works under the direction of the EBP committee.  Stay tuned for more details on how to participate!

ISHA’s Student Involvement Committee has had a busy month!  The committee met on October 6th with NSSHLA chapters from around the state.  Shout-out to Kylie Kinser from Western Illinois University and Kaitlyn Jobes from Illinois State University for participating even among their very busy schedules! The committee also hosted a student webinar on October 22 entitled Rethinking Behavior: An OT–SLP Collaborative Paradigm for Sensory Integration and Support. The committee continues to encourage students to apply for the John Consalvi Scholarship.  The deadline to apply is November 14th. 

Karen Kockler, ASHA SEAL for Illinois, has been busy supporting school-based SLPs. During the month, she:

  • Submitted a draft of new ISBE Guide for SLPs and SLPAs
  • Participated in discussions with LEAD-K members and IL State Representatives to find solutions to better serve the Deaf/Hard of Hearing/Deaf Blind community
  • Participated in discussions with ISBE, other School Support disciplines, and IL State Representatives, to reduce redundancy in IEP paperwork
  • Participated in ASHA and ISHA mentoring programs
  • Updated the IL Speech Language Pathology Guide: Eligibility and Workload Analysis
  • Advocated for following licensure laws due to the employment of unlicensed persons acting as SLPs
  • Co-chaired ISHA’s new committee “Assistants and Supervisors” and gathered feedback from IL SLPs and SLPAs to help guide our work.

ISHA’s School-Affairs committee continues to work with Speaking for Children to advocate for needs of students. Committee members are also advocating for an increase in the number of qualified candidates to work in the school setting across the student support disciplines.  Members of the committee also supported and participated in the Student Involvement webinar on sensory needs and communication. 

At this time, ISHA’s Multicultural Affairs Committee will soon meet with Karen Kockler to determine some next steps regarding contacts at ISBE and how the processes for bilingual SLPs that are completing bilingual evaluations in various school districts can be streamlined.

ISHA’s Ethics Education Committee is rolling out the Ethics in Action Video Contest!  The committee is looking forward to viewing all the submissions.