Date on Master's Thesis/Doctoral Dissertation

5-2023

Document Type

Doctoral Dissertation

Degree Name

Ph. D.

Department

Special Education, Early Childhood & Prevention Science

Degree Program

Curriculum and Instruction, PhD

Committee Chair

Tomchek, Scott

Committee Co-Chair (if applicable)

Courtade, Ginevra

Committee Member

Immekus, Jason

Committee Member

Hardy, Jessica

Author's Keywords

Early Intervention; caregiver coaching; professional development; implementation science; active implementation frameworks; sustained practice change

Abstract

Part C early intervention (EI) providers are expected to implement family-centered, capacity-building practices with the increasing number of caregivers of eligible infants and toddlers with or at risk of developmental delays or disabilities. There is a current knowledge to practice gap in service provision, establishing the need for evidence-informed professional development. The Coaching in Early Intervention Training and Mentorship Program (CEITMP) was developed to expand the professional knowledge and skills of Kentucky’s cross-disciplinary (i.e., developmental interventionists, occupational therapists, physical therapists, and speech-language pathologists) EI providers to coach caregivers to promote their increased confidence and competence to support their child’s development and learning. The CEITMP embedded adult learning principles and included professional development specialists’ supporting training and mentorship for EI providers over a 32-week period by introducing and illustrating strength-based caregiver coaching, offering performance feedback on providers’ video recorded EI visits and self-assessments, facilitating collaborative teaming, and providing follow-up to support sustained fidelity to caregiver coaching practices. Active Implementation Frameworks were applied to retrospectively investigate implementation and intervention data from the first four years of the statewide, multi-component training and mentorship program. Results indicated the CEITMP was implemented with good fidelity and was key in supporting EI providers to complete the program successfully; EI providers demonstrated the ability to use and sustain caregiver coaching with fidelity; and aggregate state data showed positive child and family outcomes. These results emphasize the significance of ensuring both intervention and implementation fidelity to promote intended outcomes.

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