Charlene Sigman
An educator and speech-language pathologist, Charlene founded Happy Talkers in 2001 with one mission: don't give up on any child. Twenty-five years later, she leads the award-winning School of Imagination and Happy Talkers, the region's only inclusion preschool and clinical practice built on ESDM.
Charlene is an educator and speech-language pathologist, a certified ESDM therapist, and a preschool director. In 2001, she founded Happy Talkers from her home with one mission: don't give up on any child, and ensure their true potential is unlocked.
Within a few short months, more than 100 children filled her home as word spread about her inclusive approach and her results with children with autism and developmental delays. By 2003, demand had grown so much that she and her family moved into a single bedroom to make room for the children who kept coming.
In 2008, Charlene expanded her vision to include School of Imagination, bringing inclusive early childhood education together with clinical care. In 2011, she and her husband Mitch partnered with the City of Dublin to open a permanent 12,000-square-foot center built to serve the whole child.
Today, Charlene is an industry pioneer, having created the award-winning School of Imagination and Happy Talkers, the region's only inclusion preschool and clinical practice built on ESDM, a model Time magazine named a Top 10 Medical Breakthrough for treating autism.