HomeMy WebLinkAbout3.3 Happy Talkers Presentation
STAFF REPORT CITY CLERK
File # 130-60
CITY COUNCIL
DATE:September 4, 2012
TO:
Honorable Mayor and City Councilmembers
FROM:
Joni Pattillo, City Manager
SUBJECT:
Presentation by School of Imagination (SOI) about Happy Talkers Early Autism
Screenings
Prepared by Caroline P. Soto, City Clerk
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
The City Council will receive a presentation from the School of Imagination (SOI) about their
Happy Talkers Early Autism Screenings.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
None.
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that the City Council receive the presentation.
Submitted By Reviewed By
City Clerk Assistant City Manager
DESCRIPTION:
For the past several years, the City of Dublin has been home to 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.”
The School of Imagination is considered a national role model for inclusion programs. SOI was
awarded “Organization of the Year” in 2007 by the City of Dublin and was also featured in the
City’s 2011 All-American City campaign.
ITEM NO. 3.3
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According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), autism is detectable in one out of 88
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
The School of Imagination launched an Outreach program in 2006 to offerfree developmental
delay and autism early intervention screenings and support for families. The annual event is the
largest and most comprehensive program of its kind in California and, in just a few short hours,
parents 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. The
resources for these Outreach events are provided primarily by volunteers and donations, with
volunteer pediatricians, clinicians and specialists donate their time to make the screening
program possible.
The School of Imagination has partnered with CBS Television to bring their Autism screenings
to cities across the country including Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Dallas, Boston, Miami,
Denver, Minneapolis, Baltimore, Detroit, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. CBS media plans for the
TV, radio, outdoor and digital outreach have been coordinated for this multi-market, multi-
platform campaign.
The School of Imagination would like the City Council to consider requesting that Staff prepare a
letter of support that could be shared with other communities around the country that will be
taking part in the upcoming screening events.
NOTICING REQUIREMENTS/PUBLIC OUTREACH:
None.
ATTACHMENTS:
None.
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