Development of the Applied Coaching Tool for Pediatric Rehabilitation Therapists: A Practice Support Tool for Therapists Coaching Parents of Young Children.

Aim: Describes the development and implementation of the Applied Coaching Tool (ACT), and training protocol, to build coaching competency in therapists supporting parents of young children.

Methods: The ACT was developed using literature review, draft tool creation, expert review and refinement. A training protocol for therapists to learn how to coach was developed using principles of adult learning, coaching and instructional design to increase learner competence and confidence.

Results: The ACT framework includes five coaching events to support therapists to implement coaching practices including self-directed goals, learner-focused interventions with meaningful reflection, practice and feedback. Within the ACT, behaviors associated with coaching events were defined as overt therapist actions and elaborations - examples of interactional behaviors. The training plan for therapists consisted of a workshop, intentional practice with coaching feedback over a period of five months, and assessment of competence. Pilot implementation demonstrated evidence of acceptability, appropriateness, adoption and fidelity of the ACT.

Conclusion: Use of the ACT, and the training plan, provides practical clinical behaviors for therapists to coach families to be active participants in rehabilitation which may contribute to improvements in self-efficacy and motivation in therapy. Furthermore, it provides a reliable standard amongst therapists coaching in pediatric rehabilitation.