Coaching Teachers to Support Child Communication Across Daily Routines in Early Head Start Classrooms

Abstract

This study investigates the use of a situated coaching protocol in Early Head Start (EHS) classrooms to increase teachers' use of communication facilitation strategies with children identified with delays during typical play and caregiving routines. A single-case, multiple baseline design across 3 EHS teachers and children with communication delays was used to examine the effectiveness of coaching on teacher strategy use and child outcomes. A situated coaching approach that included directly teaching naturalistic communication strategies, demonstrating, observing, offering feedback, and facilitating teacher reflection, was implemented with fidelity in the classroom. The teachers increased their use of the communication facilitation strategies in both types of routines, although rates of implementation were higher in play than in caregiving activities. The child participants increased their rates of communication during the 6-week intervention. Teachers maintained strategy use in a follow-up 3 months after the study.

Improving Reading Comprehension in the Primary Grades: Mediated Effects of a Language-Focused Classroom Intervention

“…or similar language-focused interventions. Evolving research on effective avenues for coaching and mentoring teachers suggests that a variety of methods may be effective for improving implementation, such as situated coaching models embedded in the classroom (Friedman & Woods, 2015) and telecoaching using bug-in-the-ear technologies (Schaefer & Ottley, 2018).…”

Responsive communication coaching for early childhood practitioners in underserved South African contexts: Clinical perspectives

“…Thereafter, the next strategies were discussed and jointly implemented by students and practitioners during classroom routines. As outlined in Friedman and Woods (2015), student SLTs then gave practitioners feedback or suggestions on how to use a strategy (e.g. ‘When he takes the block out of the container, you can copy him and say ‘out’.…”

“…Interprofessional collaboration is central to the role of SLTs working in early intervention (ASHA, 2008; South African Speech-Language and Hearing Association, 2017). A suitable approach to respond to the identified needs within the classroom could be responsive communication coaching (Archibald, 2017; Glover et al, 2015; Girolametto, Weitzman & Greenberg, 2006 & Friedman, 2015).…”

“…Recent research has highlighted the benefits of practitioners’ responsivity coaching for communication development (Glover et al, 2015). Coaching improves practitioners’ use of communication facilitation strategies and assists practitioners to embed responsive communication strategies during interactions with young children (Friedman & Woods, 2015; Girolametto et al, 2006), such as identifying and commenting on children’s interests in order to encourage more conversation turns. Responsive communication coaching is predominately applied within the functional setting of the classroom.…”

Handbook of Early Childhood Special Education

“…A number of single-subject studies have been conducted with ECI populations in inclusive EC or Head Start classrooms across a range of adult and student populations using a number of strategies to effect change across a number of specifi c adult and child outcomes (Casey & McWilliam, 2011 ;Friedman & Woods, 2015 ). The following are sample illustrations of experimental designs that provide data to support EBP strategies.…”