The early emergence of ASD is characterized by progressive difficulties in social communication. These early emerging symptoms are likely to perturb the dyadic interactions between caregivers and their children. However, very little is known about how this process unfolds, and what implications it may have for a child’s ongoing trajectory of development. For example, many caregivers may adapt to their child’s communicative style to maximize a child’s learning opportunities. Identifying the caregiver adaptions that can promote optimal socio-communicative development in children can thus help us design more effective parent-mediated interventions for young children with ASD. In this symposium, we present data that illuminates the effects of child symptomatology on caregiver-child interactions in the first years of life. We identify caregiver adaptations and behaviors that may be optimal for promoting positive socio-communicative trajectories. Finally, we present the results of a large survey of parents, service providers and individuals with ASD that illuminates the thoughts of the wider community on research in early ASD. We will discuss the implications of this work for harnessing the dynamic interactions that shape the developmental course for individuals with ASD.