DUBLIN, Calif., The School of Imagination, a leading education center that pairs typically developing children and children with developmental disabilities, is hosting the sixth annual “Happy Talkers Community Outreach” program on Saturday, April 21 at their therapy and education center in Dublin.
The Community Outreach event is the largest and most comprehensive program of its kind in California history, offering free developmental delay and autism early intervention screenings and support for families. In just a few short hours, parents will receive answers about their child, a roadmap and on-site referrals to a host of support agencies, critical early intervention assistance that would normally take months to obtain.
“For a child in need, help will begin the very same day. Parents will receive information as well as relief from experts and ultimately a chance to change their child’s future,” said Charlene Sigman, an award-wining speech therapist who founded The School of Imagination. “They can learn about developmental milestones, new ideas and cutting edge therapies to empower them so they can make educated decisions about their child’s education and development.”
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Last year, more than 140 volunteer experts donated their time to provide more than 400 screenings. These experts included pediatricians, speech language pathologists, occupational therapists, behavioral specialists, and insurance specialists, as well as officials from the Regional Center, Providing Autism Research (PAR4KIDS), UC Davis MIND Institute, Stanford Autism Center and First Five California.
Mark Ibanez, lead sports anchor for KTVU-TV (the San Francisco Bay Area FOX affiliate) is serving as the School of Imagination’s spokesperson for the event. Ibanez, father of four children, has a six-year old son diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder.
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“Getting the diagnosis of autism can leave you feeling completely lost,” said Ibanez. “Even with the contacts and access to resources I have, I found navigating the system very difficult.”
“The School of Imagination/Happy Talkers program creates an environment that makes you feel that you are on the right path for your child and your family. They help you see that it is possible to get through and find the services and support you need for your child,” added Ibanez.
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), autism is detectable in one out of 100 children yet many of these children are not diagnosed and a critical window of opportunity for early intervention is missed. In California alone, the number of children diagnosed with autism has increased by 400 percent since 1994. Early screening, diagnosis and intervention for children between 18 months and three years are critical because they need to begin services and therapies during this period to try to meet developmental milestones, according to Sigman.
“Sixty percent of the children screened for autism will require additional testing, services and support,” said Sigman. “We need to increase nationwide awareness of autism and developmental delay through early detection and intervention to ensure no child falls between the cracks.”
The Outreach program was launched in 2006 through partnerships with PAR4KIDS Sake, Child Care Links, California First Five-Alameda County, Black Tie Transportation, Pleasanton North Rotary Club, Palo Alto Medical Foundation, Tri-Valley Pediatrics, Becton Healthcare Resources, and Discovery Homes.
The Happy Talkers Community Outreach event takes place from 9 a.m.- 4 p.m. at the School of Imagination/Happy Talkers therapy and education center located at 9801 Dublin Blvd. in Dublin. To register or learn more about this event, please call (877) KIDS-TLC or visit www.happytalkers.org.
About the School of Imagination and Happy Talkers
The Dublin-based, non-profit School of Imagination (SOI) is an education center which serves the child care, pre-school and kindergarten needs of typically developing children and children with developmental disabilities in the Bay Area. The SOI was built on the award-winning methodology of Happy Talkers, which has served more than 3,000 children with speech delays, developmental disabilities and autism since it was founded in 2000. Happy Talkers provides individualized or classroom speech and occupational therapies for any student. The SOI’s mission is “to bring out the extraordinary in every child.”
Awarded “Organization of the Year” in 2007 by the City of Dublin, California and earning The Jefferson Award for Public Service in 2006 (San Francisco Chronicle and CBS5 television), the School of Imagination is considered a national role model for inclusion programs. Organizations including: Autism Speaks, California First Five, American Speech and Hearing Association, and the Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation, have endorsed SOI for its ground-breaking approach to education to bring out the extraordinary in every child. The full inclusion preschool and kindergarten programs are cutting edge and provide small, customized classes and low student-to-teacher ratios.
For more information, or to reach our Parent Support Network, contact (877) KIDS-TLC or www.soi4kids.org.
