Responsive communication coaching for early childhood practitioners in underserved South African contexts: Clinical perspectives.
Shabnam S Abdoola, Renata Mosca, Bhavani S Pillay
PMID 31170787WHAT IT FOUND
Early childhood practitioners in South Africa reported that coaching by student speech-language therapists helped them use responsive strategies, such as observing, waiting and listening, and increased interaction with children.
No child outcomes were measured.
Key findings
01All fifteen practitioners expressed benefit; 50% found coaching very helpful, 37% helpful and 13% quite helpful.
02Three main themes were increased interaction, improved communication abilities and helpful strategies.
03The most useful strategies included observe, wait and listen (67%), visual supports (33%), providing choices (30%), gestures (38%) and face-to-face communication (65%).
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The study was explorative and used convenience sampling, so it did not test whether coaching caused changes. No control group was included, and children's communication abilities were not measured before and after coaching. Results were based on practitioner self-report after a 16-week programme, not on observed child outcomes. Student rotations every 6 weeks and different coaching frequencies across sites may have affected delivery. Classroom sizes varied widely, from 5 to 35 children, and nine practitioners had no training. The survey was self-constructed and not described as validated.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that this coaching improved children's communication. The study measured practitioners' perceptions and did not assess children before and after coaching.