Examination of Coaching Behaviors Used by Providers When Delivering Early Intervention via Telehealth to Families of Children Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing

Abstract

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA, 2004) states that infants and toddlers with disabilities, and their family members, are to receive family-centered early intervention (FCEI). This study investigated providers' use of FCEI strategies when intervention was delivered to young children who were deaf or hard of hearing via telehealth. Telehealth is the use of telecommunication technologies to provide health services to people who are located at some distance from a provider. Telehealth also offers access to specialists and eliminates barriers of geography and weather. This study examined the frequency of occurrence of desired FCEI provider behaviors during telehealth sessions and contrasted them with the same behaviors used during in-person therapy. The use of FCEI provider behaviors was measured by observing and coding digitally recorded intervention sessions. Results demonstrated that selected FCEI provider behaviors occur in the telehealth condition more frequently than in the in-person condition reported in the literature. Three of the provider behaviors studied (i.e., observation, parent practice with feedback, and child behavior with provider feedback) were used more frequently in the telehealth condition. Direct instruction was used in similar amounts in both treatment conditions. This study affirms that the use of FCEI strategies may be enhanced through telehealth.