The purpose of this article is to help early interventionists who work with families of toddlers showing early signs of autism think through the "what" and the "how" of early intervention for toddlers with social communication difficulties, even though the child has not yet been diagnosed. Questions include the following: (1) What is most important for toddlers and families to learn; and (2) How can interventionists provide families with the tools to make good decisions in everyday interactions with their toddlers? This article provides strategies to engage toddlers with early signs of autism to expand their interests to include interaction with people and promote social communication. Parent-invented "idea starters" to promote preverbal parent-toddler social interaction are provided. The frame work presented provides a conceptual base upon which parents can create their own activities that match the child's current social communicative competencies.