Welcome!
This is your introduction to the Online Parent Training in Early Intervention (OPT-In-Early). Please read this introduction all the way through before starting this program!
OPT-In-Early is mainly for caregivers of children aged 1 to 5 years old who may have a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), or another developmental condition. It is designed to help you teach important skills to your child. It will also help you understand and manage behaviors that may interfere with your child’s learning and interactions with others.
The program is also for children who do not have a diagnosis, but for whom caregivers or physicians suspect ASD or another developmental condition. Parents of children not suspected of having a developmental condition like ASD, but who may be slow to learn certain skills or have social challenges, may also find some of this material useful.
We focus on children aged 1-5 years. But- parents of older children will also find useful material. For older children, caregivers might want to start with basic principles (Modules 2 and 3). Then decide on skills you can teach your child using these principles.
If you are concerned about your child’s development, try to get the child to see a doctor if you have not already done so. This could be a pediatrician, psychologist, or psychiatrist. In general, it does not help to wait and see what happens. It is often the case that children who receive the help they need early in life make faster progress.
Many caregivers who are concerned about their child’s development cannot get professional intervention for their child as soon as they would like, if at all. Web-based parent training like this program is not a substitute for professional intervention. However, you may be able to give your child a head start on learning and development by using the basic teaching methods discussed here.
Some children will have therapists or other clinicians to work with them. If so, we encourage you to talk to them with any questions or concerns about OPT-In-Early. Your child’s provider might use a different approach. They also might get some ideas from OPT-In-Early. It’s a great idea to share the website with any provider who is working with your child. OPT-In-Early can be used not only while waiting for a diagnosis or while waiting for intervention, but it can also be used alongside other interventions, as long as your provider thinks this is a good idea.
Both the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and Autism Speaks have information for parents about your child’s right to get early intervention (from birth to age 3 years) from the state you live in (in the United States) and your child’s right to get special education when they reach kindergarten age (5 years). In many states, children are eligible to receive preschool special education services, beginning at age three. They also describe the types of intervention that might be provided. These statements are readable and informative.
We have created this material from research that we and others have done, and from our years of clinical experience. If you would like to learn a little more about us, please go to Meet the Experts tab. About half of the modules use “he” and half use “she.” But please remember that we are always talking about both boys and girls. Also, we use the words “autism” and “ASD” to mean the same thing.
You will also see that most of the adults in the videos clips are women, either teachers or mothers. If your child has a male teacher, or a father or other male relative, who can do the activities described in the program, that’s great! Having a mix of male and female adults working with your child is very helpful.
This Online Parent Training in Early Behavioral Intervention (OPT-In-Early) program was developed by UConn faculty and their colleagues with grants from the National Institute of Mental Health. We are extremely grateful for this funding, and for the help of the children, parents and therapists you will see in the video clips and photographs.
Reading all of the text in the various modules, and watching all the videos, can be time consuming in a busy life! Do you have to watch all the videos? We feel that they are a very important part of the program. It’s one thing to read how to do something, and quite a different thing to watch an experienced person doing it. So we suggest you make sure you have some time put aside when you start a new module, and not only watch the videos, but perhaps even watch some of them more than once. You will see important aspects of the methods, like the timing that the adult uses, and the enthusiasm with which the adult treats the child he or she is working with.
And here is one more important thought. Children make progress at different rates. And while a child may learn some skills very easily, the same child may take a much longer time to learn other kinds of skills. Many of the video clips you will see show children working on new skills. In some cases, it may look easier than it will be when you try the same thing with your child. If this happens, please don’t be discouraged! First, some of the children in the video clips have already been working on these skills for weeks or even longer. Second, most of the children have been in professionally delivered therapy for several weeks or even months before these video clips were filmed. During this time, they will have been learning how to cooperate with adults and to enjoy their special learning sessions. But in most cases, this takes time and patience. Your child may resist your efforts to teach him new things at first, but with time and patience and LOTS of reinforcement, the process almost always gets a lot easier. We will say this again and again because it’s worth repeating.
Please read each of the following sections before starting the program in Module 1.
Copyright 2024 Dr. Deborah Fein and Dr. Lynn Brennan. The OPT-In Early Program, and all documents, videos, photographs, and images on this website (the “Content”), are the property of and/or licensed by the authors hereunder, except where noted. You may only use the OPT-In Early Program for non-commercial purposes and further provided that you: (1) properly attribute ownership and copyright in the Program to Dr. Deborah Fein and Dr. Lynn Brennan (collectively, the “authors”); (2) include a reference to this website, and (3) do not modify or create any derivative of the Program or any Content without prior written permission of the authors. This permission may be revoked at any time by the authors, or either author, in their sole discretion. Commercial use of the Program and/or any Content is strictly prohibited. The Program and Content are provided “as is” without warranties of any kind, express or implied, and the same are expressly disclaimed. You are solely responsible for any use of the Program and/or Content. Please contact Dr. Deborah Fein at deborah.fein@uconn.edu with any questions.