Coaching Interaction Style

Implementation Guidance

TEAM EI Colorado Vision: Every child and family served by EI Colorado has access to a primary provider in addition to a diverse team of early interventionists that possess expertise to build family capacity to support the child in everyday learning

Definition

An interactive process of observation and reflection in which the early intervention professional coaches a parent, caregiver, or other providers to support a child’s growth, development, and participation in everyday activities, experiences, and interactions with family members and peers across home and community settings

Guidance

• Core Functions

  • Coaching, based on adult learning principles, enhances parents’ and caregivers’ capacity to support child development during daily routines. Research shows children learn best through relationships with familiar adults in their everyday environments

  • Families are a child’s first teachers. Coaching strengthens their ability to support development

  • While direct interaction with children is important, coaching prioritizes communication with adults to build their capacity and confidence into daily family routines and activities

  • Coaching fosters collaboration, role release, and cross-disciplinary learning among early interventionists during team meetings

  • Role release occurs when interventionists share strategies beyond their discipline, coaching colleagues, and caregivers (e.g., a physical therapist supporting language development)

  • Coaching builds professional knowledge, capacity, and skills through observation, feedback, and collaboration

  • In order to implement coaching with colleagues and peers,

    • Early interventionists should build trust through teaming activities, open discussions, active listening, role release across disciplines, and a commitment to learning, reflection, and relationship-building

  • In order to implement coaching with families,

    • Early interventionists should prioritize the needs of the family and caregivers within their daily routines and contexts, using evidence-based practices to coach and identify child learning opportunities using the materials, toys, and environment to build the caregivers' ability to embed strategies throughout the day and in between visits, building their capacity

    • Consistently meet the family where they are at every visit, approach visits from a place of curiosity, openness, and support, and always assume the competence of the family and caregiver

    • Ensure flexibility and openness to ensure the strategies and ongoing planning are meeting the needs and priorities of the family

• Coaching Interaction Style and Adult Learning Principles - The use of coaching interaction style supports the following, evidence-based, adult learning principles:

  • Adults learn best when what is taught is immediately relevant and useful

  • Adults learn best when new knowledge is built upon prior knowledge

  • Adults need to understand what they are learning, why it is important, and how to use it with their children

  • Adults learn best through active participation and practice

  • Adults learn best when what they are learning is practiced in context and in real-time

  • Adults learn best when they receive feedback on their learning and performance

• The Five Components of a Coaching Interaction Style

  • Utilize the five components of coaching with families, caregivers, and peers during visits, and formal and informal teaming opportunities to begin to build relationships and rapport

    • Joint Planning - A conversation that occurs at the beginning and end of each visit,  between the coach and the learner, to describe and discuss how effectively the learner was able to implement new strategies between visits and embed them into daily routines

    • Observation -  Examination of another person’s actions to develop new skills, strategies, or ideas. The coach may observe the learner, and/or the learner may observe the coach

    • Action/Practice - Spontaneous or planned events that occur within the context of a daily routine that provide the learner with opportunities to use the information discussed with the coach and/or to practice new or existing skills

    • Reflection - Provides the learner the opportunities to analyze current strategies and refine their knowledge and skills to obtain the intended outcome(s)

    • Feedback - Provides the learner with information, affirmation, acknowledgment, encouragement, and suggestions

Documentation

EI Colorado does not require direct documentation for coaching. Coaching practices are documented within team meeting notes or individual child notes. Early Interventionists can use the coaching checklist to ensure consistent use of coaching practices during EI visits with the important people in a child’s life.

Resources

• A Step-by-Step Guide to the Five Components of a Coaching Interaction Style

• Reflective Questions One Pager

• Coaching Checklist

• Coaching Prompts for Team Meetings

• Coaching Prompts During Visits

References Utilized to Create TEAM EI Colorado Model

• Six Early Intervention Adult Learning Principles

• At a Glance Reflective Coaching Questions by Rush and Shelden

• The Coaching Quick Reference Guide by Rush and Shelden