Its goal is to enhance partnerships between professionals and families of children with disabilities. Families and professionals have been trained by the Families As Teachers staff to understand the purpose and scope of the program. The content of the curriculum was written by families to promote the concept of family-centered care by sensitizing professionals to the way families think, feel, and need support. Families want professionals to understand, appreciate, and capitalize on the depth of knowledge families have about their children. When a collaborative relationship between families and professionals is formed, together they can have a tremendous impact upon treatment and services that a child receives.
Workshops are approximately two hours in length, interactive, and activity oriented.
Future outreach will include occupational therapy, physical therapy, dentistry, optometry, clinical psychology, pediatric nursing, and social work. In addition to the workshops, professionals are offered the opportunity to experience the joys and challenges of families in their everyday lives through visits with the family in their home. In addition, professionals may encounter a variety of experiences through family visits. They may attend the child's school, go out to dinner, swing on the playground, or attend a therapy appointment. The ISP has received much attention from professionals and early intervention systems who face tremendous challenges in developing early intervention supports for young children with autism and their families.