Families in Early Intervention

The Families in Early Intervention module helps families understand autism, learn about research-supported practices, and work with their EI provider as a team. This module is broken into 6 mini-lessons.

Please note that these mini-lessons work best in Firefox and Chrome.

  • What is Autism

    Autism is a lifelong difference in how the brain works, and each autistic toddler has their own strengths, needs, interests, and ways of communicating and learning.

    Time to Complete: .33 hours

A Note about Terminology:

We respect and appreciate that every family is different. While this module is intended for families of toddlers diagnosed with autism, it may also help families of toddlers with language delays, developmental delays, sensory processing differences, or social communication needs. Families are the most important teachers in a toddler’s life because they are with their child during everyday routines, such as mealtime, getting dressed, and bedtime. We also understand that families may use different words, or no specific words at all, to describe their child’s experiences. For this reason, we will use the following words throughout these mini-lessons.

  • Caregiver: A caregiver can be a parent or a provider. We use this word when talking about both parents and providers, especially when discussing how praise or rewards (reinforcement) are used at home or in early learning programs.
  • Evidence-Based Practices (EBPs): Evidence-based practices are strategies that have been carefully studied and shown through research to help toddlers learn and develop.
  • Goal: In Individualized Family Service Plans (IFSPs), the word outcome is used to describe what families and providers want the toddler to learn. In these modules, we use the word goal to mean the same thing as an IFSP outcome.
  • Parent: A parent is any adult who cares for the toddler during daily routines, such as eating, getting dressed, or bedtime. This can include a mom, dad, grandparent, or other family member. Parents play a very important role in helping early intervention work.
  • Provider: A provider is an early intervention professional. Job titles may vary by state and can include early interventionists, developmental therapists, speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists, physical therapists, and others. In these modules, we use the word provider to mean any of these professionals.
  • Toddler: A young child with autism, a language delay, a developmental delay, a sensory processing difference, or a social communication need.

Suggested Citation:

Amsbary, J., Kinard, J., Lopez, M., Sam, A., Waters, V., & AFIRM Team. (2026). Families in Early Intervention. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute, Autism Focused Intervention Resources and Modules for Toddlers (AFIRM for Toddlers). https://afirm.fpg.unc.edu/afirm-modules/afirm-for-toddlers/

AFIRM