by Crystal Williams, Ed.M.
Early Intervention (EI) programs serve families of young children (birth through 36 months) who have delays and disabilities. These services are mandated by Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Improvement Act (2004) and are required to include families in service planning and delivery. Recent movements in EI have emphasized caregiver coaching as an avenue for promoting family engagement and child outcomes.
The Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children released recommended practices for early childhood professionals in 2014, many of which promote family engagement in intervention. More specifically, one recommended practice states that practitioners should use coaching strategies with primary caregivers to enhance caregiver-child interactions and individualize learning opportunities for children.
What are coaching strategies?
In The Early Childhood Coaching Handbook, authors Rush and Shelden (2020) define coaching as:
An adult learning strategy in which the coach promotes the learner’s ability to reflect on his or her actions as a means to determine the effectiveness of an action or practice and develop a plan for refinement and use of the action in immediate and future situations (p. 8).
The table below includes a description of the five coaching strategies outlined by Rush and Shelden (2020). Besides Rush and Shelden’s model of coaching, other coaching frameworks also exist in EI (e.g., Family-Guided Routines Based Early Intervention). Other frameworks may use different names for similar strategies, indicated in the last row of the table.
| Strategy | Definition | Who? | When? | Other Names/ Related Strategies |
| Joint planning | Making an agreed upon plan about what will take place during and in between sessions; focuses on caregiver goals | Provider and caregiver together | Usually occurs at the beginning and end of coaching sessions | Action planning, shared goals, information sharing |
| Observation | Intentionally watching another person’s actions to develop new skills, strategies, or ideas | Provider or caregiver | Occurs throughout sessions | Focused observation |
| Action | Implementing strategies in the context of everyday routines and activities | Provider (modeling) or caregiver (practice) | Occurs throughout sessions and between sessions | Modeling, demonstration, caregiver practice, guided practice |
| Reflection | Analyzing the effectiveness of strategies and building on what caregivers know | Provider, caregiver, and/or together | Occurs throughout sessions and between sessions | Problem-solving, reflective questioning, reflective consultation |
| Feedback | Providing information about a caregiver’s actions to expand knowledge and affirm caregiver competence | Provider | Occurs throughout sessions; usually after caregiver reflection | Supportive feedback, constructive feedback |
Where can I find more information about coaching?
General EI Coaching Resources
- Early Intervention Family Coaching Resources from National Center on Pyramid Model Innovations
- Family Guided Routines Based Intervention (FGRBI) Resources
- Caregiver Coaching
- Mobile Coaching Resources (Telehealth)
- Parents Interacting with Infants (PIWI), Illinois Early Intervention Clearinghouse
- Rush, D. D., & Shelden, M. L. L. (2020). The early childhood coaching handbook (Second Edition). Brookes Publishing.
- Virginia Early Intervention Professional Development Resources
Trainings
- Free Caregiver Coaching Modules, Center for Autism and Brain Development Center
Video Examples
- Family Guided Routines-Based Intervention: Coaching Families
- Virginia EI Professional Development Center
- Coaching playlist (20 videos)
- All videos
Image Credit: Pixabay.com, CC0
