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Publication Date: Friday, September 05, 2003

Happy Talkers

From the outside, the house on Valley Trails Drive doesn't look any different from the rest of the neighborhood. But the moment you walk in the front door and are greeted by Tigger and Elmo peeking from behind a tree, you suspect this is no ordinary home.

A giant smiley-face mat welcomes you into a living room decorated in rainbow colors and pint-sized furniture, and filled with the voices of children. After spending a little time, you know for sure that you are in an extraordinary place that is overflowing with hope and wonder and possibility, and maybe even miracles.

When Sabrina Sanchez walked in that same front door two-and-a-half years ago, she might have been wishing for a miracle, although she had little hope for one. Luke, her 4-year-old son, had just been diagnosed by the doctors at Children's Hospital Oakland as mentally retarded.

"I was devastated," says Sanchez. "They told us that he would never lead a normal life and we'd be lucky if he could ever function at the level of a 10-year-old. As parents, you immediately begin worrying about your child's future. We knew we had to do anything and everything we could to get him as much help as possible."

While researching therapy options, Sanchez heard about Charlene Sigman and her new program, Happy Talkers, which promised "speech language therapy services in a fun and nurturing environment." That environment turned out to be Sigman's Pleasanton home.

"As soon as we met Charlene, we could see that she had a lot of knowledge and passion about what she did. But she was also compassionate and loving, and that was very important to us," says Sanchez.

Luke immediately began a total speech immersion program, consisting of individual and group sessions at Happy Talkers five days a week. Gradually, Sigman, who has a master's degree in Education and Communication Disorders and has served as the director of Speech Pathology at the Huntington Hearing and Speech Center in New York, began to doubt Luke's initial diagnosis. After working closely with him, she determined that Luke was not retarded, as first thought, but instead had a combination of an auditory processing disorder (a condition in which information gets jumbled as it is filtered through the brain) and attention deficit disorder.

With his new, accurate diagnosis, Luke began therapy for his specific disorder and medication to manage the ADD. As a result, last year Luke was mainstreamed into kindergarten where he performed at the top of his class, reading above his age level. Luke is now entering first grade and he is expected to lead a full, productive life.

"Charlene never believed that Luke was retarded," says Sanchez. "She would not take no for an answer and that was an absolute blessing."

"We don't give up on anybody," says Sigman. "Sometimes kids' initial test scores are so low, and then they get put into a group of kids where they don't get individual attention, and they fall so far behind. Then (the initial diagnosis) becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy."

How often do cases like Luke's occur? "A lot more often than you would think," says Lisa LeVeque, who has a master's degree in Speech/Language Pathology and works at Happy Talkers. "In the time I've been working here, I've seen some amazing changes. There is a great plasticity of the brain between the ages of 18 months and 6 years. With early intervention, dynamic changes can be made in a child's life."

Sigman's husband, Mitch, has seen these transformations firsthand. He is Charlene's staunchest supporter, even though Happy Talkers has taken over their four-bedroom house, and indeed their entire life. To make space for group and individual therapy rooms and an administrative office, Mitch, Charlene and their two children, Jared, 2-1/2, and Lauren, 6 months, have resigned themselves to living in only one bedroom of the house.

"I had no idea my life would turn into this," says Mitch. Then he quickly adds, "Not saying that I wouldn't have signed up for it if I would have known. It's much more than I ever imagined, but now that I see it, it's becoming our life purpose. When you see what the need is and how much of an impact Charlene makes, how can you not want to do whatever you can as a husband to help make it happen?"

Happy Talkers began organically - the convergence of a dream, a bad day and a messy diaper.

In January 2001, when the Sigmans moved to Pleasanton with Mitch's job as a regional manager for Dynasplint Systems, Charlene planned to work part time, outside the home, as a speech therapist in the early morning hours while Mitch took care of baby Jared and worked out of the house. One day, after Mitch had spent a particularly harried morning juggling conference calls and explosive baby bowels, Charlene returned home to find the house a disaster, soiled baby clothes everywhere, and Jared duct-taped into his diaper. Mitch and Charlene took one look at each other and knew it was time to implement Plan B. Happy Talkers was born.

Charlene, who was accustomed to providing traditional therapy, had a vision for the ideal speech program for children. "I don't think kids make a lot of progress a half an hour at a time," says Charlene. "I had always dreamed of a program of total immersion. I started with three kids under my wing, and I thought I'd hang out with them all day and work on their language skills and I'd also be able to be home with my son. I wanted to create my own little utopia. I imagined a kind of a Mr. Roger's Neighborhood house where the kids could come and feel safe and loved while they learned and developed."

The Sigmans and their team seem to have achieved that ideal. The staff has grown to 15, including several speech pathology graduate students and a nanny to help care for Jared and Lauren. It's the manifestation of the "It takes a village to raise a child" philosophy, where many adults come together to share in the nurturing and development of children. "We couldn't do this without this amazing staff," says Charlene. "Everyone is so supportive and really believes in what we're doing and will do anything to make the program work. They'll pick up the baby anytime, and we involve Jared in every group."

Although Happy Talkers began as a kind of daycare, specializing in developmentally delayed children, it has grown to encompass a wide variety of services. At the heart of the program are the group communication sessions - mornings for 2 to 3-year-olds, and afternoons for 4 to 8-year-olds. In the group sessions, four to six children with a multitude of developmental delays - from autism, to mental retardation, to Down syndrome - come together for preschool-type learning experiences, led by a speech language pathologist and two assistants. Sessions are intensively educational and interactive. Even snack time is an opportunity for learning as children are gently, but firmly, prompted to pronounce the treat they want, and rewarded with wild applause and exclamations when they are successful.

"Everything is learned through play, but the focus of everything is language," says Sabrina Sanchez.

Aminah Lawery, who has had two sons attend Happy Talkers, agrees. "Charlene is just amazing," she says. "John (who is 2-1/2 years old and autistic) went to another speech therapist, but she couldn't get him to do what Charlene can because she makes it so much fun."

Happy Talkers rounds out its offerings with individual speech therapy, a music program, a newsletter and a monthly parent support group. This week, it is launching Happy Babblers, which will teach communication through sign language, music, singing and art for all children (normally developing or delayed) from the ages of 6 to 24 months and their parents.

Her plate is overflowing, but, still, Charlene keeps coming up with ideas for the future, saying, "We know what the need is and we want to provide more services for more children."

"But I don't have anymore bedrooms I can give up," cries Mitch in mock exasperation.

Despite the cramped living quarters, the Sigmans are committed to running the program out of their home; they believe the environment is a key factor in their success. "What we'd really like to do is grow into a bigger house," says Charlene. "When a child walks in here, they are immediately comfortable because it's someone's home."

"Sometimes, children do well in clinical settings but have a hard time 'carrying over' the skills they learn to their homes," says LeVeque. "Happy Talkers creates a familiar, comfortable environment that makes 'carry over' much easier."

The Sigmans also dream of establishing a foundation to help pay the cost of services for children who cannot afford them. Although some insurance companies or other resources will pay part or all of the costs of programs like Happy Talkers, the financial burden often rests primarily upon the family.

Whatever the future holds, it is clear that Happy Talkers is having a profoundly positive - sometimes miraculous - impact on the lives of many children.

"If Luke didn't get the help he did, I don't know," Sanchez says, her voice trailing off before she can finish the sentence. "Before, he didn't have kids knocking on his door to play. Yesterday, he played outside with his friends all day. My little boy was given a life. It's like somebody turned the color on his TV set."

Do you suspect your child has problems?

If you suspect that your child may be developmentally delayed, first of all, you must get a professional evaluation. If your child is younger than 3 years old, contact the Regional Center of the East Bay, a nonprofit agency that provides free intake, assessment and case management services (510-383-1200 or www.rceb.org).

If your child is 3 years or older, then your child can be evaluated by the Pleasanton Unified School District (426-4293).

Request a full evaluation of your child, including testing to discover difficulties or delays in areas of speech, academic/pre-academic, psycho-motor development, communication development and intellectual development. All services provided through the district and/or Regional Center are free.

It is vitally important that you educate yourself as a parent on how the process works and what is available to you. Occasionally there may be services available that will help your child that will not be offered unless you ask for them. The following books will help and I recommend reading them at the beginning of your quest to get your child properly diagnosed and treated: ¥ "The Complete IEP Guide: How to Advocate For Your Special Ed Child" by Lawrence M. Siegel ¥ "Negotiating the Special Education Maze: A Guide for Parents and Teachers" by Winifred Anderson, Stephen Chitwood and Deidre Hayden

I highly recommend that you take your child to a Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrician. Two of these specialists in the East Bay are Dr. Deborah Sedberry in Pleasanton at 295-2020 and Dr. Brad Berman of Progressions in Walnut Creek at 279-3480. These physicians will be able to make recommendations regarding your child's therapy that you can use to influence the district. For example, my pediatrician recommended that I keep my son in a regular school (mainstreamed) with a one-on-one aide. The district was recommending a special day class. I was able to fight their recommendation with a documented report on why keeping him mainstreamed would be more beneficial to his development. Today he is mixed into a regular class of second-graders at our local school and doing wonderfully.

Another resource is the Special Education Local Plan Area (426-9144 or www.trivalleyselpa.org), a group that coordinates special education services among several school districts in the Tri-Valley.

Get involved in a support group or find another parent who already has a child in the system. It helps to know you are not alone out there in the land of special needs. The Umbrella Club is a support group for families of special needs children that meets at 7 p.m. the first Tuesday of every month at Borders in San Ramon. For more information, contact Angie Radermacher at 556-5551 or e-mail www.Angie@Radermacher.com. -This was written by a mother who did not want her name published because she does not want to draw attention to her son.