Parent Support Group

Zoom Meeting

September 29th, 2020 to June 29th, 2021

Opening Doors PTA is pleased to sponsor a support group for parents of children with special needs ages 3 – 5 years. The group is designed to reduce feelings of isolation, stress and overwhelm during these challenging times. We hope to promote a sense of empowerment and community where parents can connect with each other, form friendships inside as well as outside of the group, with the idea that families and children will be able to get together once safely allowed to do so again.

The group will run throughout the school year beginning September 29, 2020 through June 29, 2021. There will be 2 sessions per month to provide ongoing support. Each Zoom session will last 90 minutes, with time for socializing together, learning about a desired “hot topic,” and Q&A time for specifics relating to what parents are dealing with. Additional time to connect and share as a community will be provided.

Topics of the group may include: shaping behaviors, building on your child’s skills, feeding/toileting issues, effective communication etc. These topics will be flexible to address the concerns of the participants in order to provide guidance on helping their children develop, learn, and grow during this school year.

The group facilitator, Denise Carbon, is a Special Needs Expert who has been supporting young children with special needs and their families in the community for almost 30 years.

To inquire about the group or to enroll, please contact Denise directly at: Denise@SpecialAdvantage.com or by calling: 650-218-1884.
Suggestions for topics can be sent to Denise directly

Denise Carbon is a Special Needs Expert who has been supporting young children with special needs and their families in our community for almost 30 years. She is dedicated to helping parents who struggle with stress, fear, anxiety and overwhelm and, as a Developmental Specialist and Parent Coach, helps empower parents while ensuring kids grow to reach their full potential.

Denise has her Master's Degree in Early Childhood Special Education where she graduated at the very top of her class, summa cum laude with special honors. She is certified in California as an Infant and Family Early Childhood Mental Health Practitioner, a Certified NLP Master Practitioner, and Certified Master Executive and Life Coach.

Some of Denise’s private coaching clients include top executives at Amazon, Google, Facebook and Apple. Denise was hand selected to coordinate the High-Risk Infant Development Clinic at Stanford Children’s Hospital, where they monitored the development of the sickest babies coming out of the Intensive Care Nurseries.

She has been a keynote and breakout speaker at multiple disability awareness and infant development conferences throughout California including: the Department of Developmental Services (DDS), the Infant Development Association of California, and various Early Start Programs. Denise has trained hundreds of professionals on how to provide best practice home-based Early Intervention and Developmental Services to children with special needs, developmental delays, and behavioral issues. She has been around special needs her entire life!

When not locked in due to COVID or raging fires, Denise enjoys spending time with her boyfriend, family and friends. She loves hiking, live music, dancing, getting out into nature, and gardening.