Many parents believe that one-on-one sessions where a child works with a speech therapist once a week is the best way to work with young children. However, waiting lists can be long, and we know how Early Intervention strategies are so important. We know that we have to get in quickly with some helpful strategies so we can take advantage of the short window of opportunity while children are young. This means that parents can often be caught in a Catch-22: knowing how important it is to get started with strategies, but not having anywhere to turn.
to make a difference now and long-term
Research shows that parent training and parent coaching are some of the most effective ways to help young children’s communication skills to develop, especially early on when you first notice something. This is because you are the main person in your child’s life and can take advantage of all those little moments throughout the day!
We now have plenty of evidence to show the value and effectiveness of coaching parents to learn and apply strategies that can significantly impact their child’s communication. This includes online or remote coaching through telepractice or Zoom. Here is a list of articles with positive outcomes of telepractice and early intervention coaching you can explore:
- Research showed that when parents self-recorded with remote feedback via teletherapy helped every parent improve and led to progress for all children. Ousley, Raulston & Gilhuber (2025)
- With remote telepractice coaching: Parents showed increased used of early communication strategies, even when all coaching took place remotely via Zoom and self-recorded video clips. (Ousley et al., 2022). Coaching was fully online, with no in-person contact at all, showing that therapist presence was not essential when parents were the main agents of change.
- Research shows parent-child interactions increase through coaching (Aikens et al., 2015, Behl et al 2017)
- Family participation increases with coaching
(Behl et al., 2017; McCarthy, Munoz, and White, 2010) - Research has identified more frequently prompted child communication (McDuffie et al., 2013)
- There is increased use of evidence-based communication strategies for parents of autistic children.
(Wattanawongwan et al, 2022) - There is overall improvement in communication skills in children (Behl et al, 2017; Brown and Woods, 2015
- Parents show a reduction in stress and increased confidence in using strategies through coaching (Gentile et al., 2022)
- Overall, higher family satisfaction is reported relating to high-quality visits using a coaching model and progress on goals
(Behl et al 2017; Crutchley & Campbell, 2010; ) - From my own experience, online coaching provides an effective and supportive way to empower parents and caregivers. They are more active in decision-making and this translates to more effective change. Parents and caregivers really learn to notice exactly what is happening, gain clarity and a deep understanding of what to do, gain the tools and skills to carry out the strategies effectively for their child. They gain confidence and the knowledge that they are doing all they can to help their child.
If you are on the fence or unsure of how remote coaching can help you and your child, explore what other parents say about our coaching programs, or contact Carolyn directly via email.
Find out how parent coaching can help you