No abstract

Early intervention (EI) service providers working with young children with developmental disabilities and delays and their families often utilize coaching practices to engage caregivers in the EI process. Within the literature, the usefulness of coaching has been identified. However, little is known about how coaching practices look in naturalistic settings and service providers' perceptions of these practices. Through the use of an online survey, this study examined beliefs and reported practices of EI service providers. The findings indicated that EI providers considered coaching to be meaningful and offered several benefits to both caregivers and children. Some of the perceived advantages included engaging and empowering caregivers and increased opportunities for children to practice and master skills. Most coaching practices were ranked as highly important and were reportedly utilized frequently by service providers in the sample. However, some coaching practices, such as reflection and feedback, were not implemented as often as joint planning, observation, and action. In addition, the participants identified challenges and facilitators for using coaching as a style of interacting with caregivers. Discussion of EI provider perceptions, limitations, recommendations, implications, and future research directions are presented.

No abstract

In the past, parents of children with disabilities have spearheaded several policies for individuals with disabilities. However, little is known about their experiences with legislators. To address this gap, focus groups and surveys about legislative advocacy were conducted with 127 parents of individuals with disabilities across four states. The purpose of the study was to explore parent perceptions about experiences with legislative advocacy including the frequency of, strategies for, and barriers to legislative advocacy. Descriptive statistics were conducted to analyze the survey data; constant comparative analysis was used to analyze the focus group data. Participants reported engaging in various forms of legislative advocacy. Participants shared positive and negative experiences interacting with legislators, including individual and collective advocacy efforts. Some participants did not engage in legislative advocacy due to intimidation. Relationships facilitated legislative advocacy for participants. Implications for future research about legislative advocacy and practices to facilitate legislative advocacy are discussed.