Coaching Prompts for During Visits

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

Reminder! Coaching is an interactive process of observation and reflection in which the early intervention professional coaches a parent or caregiver 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.

Coaching Prompts for Visits

• How might you include this strategy in other parts of your day?

• What support do you need to feel confident trying this again?

• What did you notice your child doing during [specific activity]?

• How does this compare to what you’ve seen before?

• What stood out to you about how your child responded when you tried [specific strategy]?

• Why do you think your child responded in that way?

• What do you think worked well about the approach you used?"

• What might have influenced your child’s behavior or reactions during that moment?

• What could you try differently if this situation happens again?

• What other strategies might help your child during [specific routine or activity]?

• What might you do if [specific challenge] comes up?

• How did it feel when you tried that strategy?

• What did you learn about your child during this activity?

• What surprised you most about your child’s response?

• What would you like to focus on between now and our next visit?

When in doubt, remember…

• Stick to open-ended questions (don’t get stuck with one-word, yes/no answers!)

• Give ample time for a response

  • Don’t be afraid to say, “Great question, I will bring that back to my team and share their feedback, suggestions, and strategies at the next visit,” and/or “Together we could bring your question to the team during the next team meeting to hear their suggestions” and/or “Would you be open to recording this and sharing it with the team, then we can try some of their suggestions during the next visit”