The Language We Use: Providers' Perceptions About Families.

Implicitly-held unconscious associations and attitudes may not align with the beliefs we hold outwardly or explicitly but can affect our professional perceptions, decisions, and actions. In a phenomenological study identifying strategies used to support families in vulnerable circumstances, we conducted nine focus groups to examine how early interventionists (EIs) described families and children, the language they used, and how they used it. Thematic qualitative analysis revealed three themes about families: perceptions of parenting, perceptions of capability, and perceptions of priorities.