Although it has not been researched with individuals who only have communication disorders, the coaching model described by Shelden and Rush (2008) is utilized to implement speech-language interventions in early intervention settings. This study evaluated using the Shelden and Rush (2008) coaching model to teach a parent to implement three milieu strategies to her late talking toddler in their natural environments. The milieu strategies included models, mand models, and time delays. The participant was given two different target words to implement across each session. The target words served as a measure of the child’s ability to learn structured word targets. Total words and total different words used by the child were also measured throughout the study. Parent attitudes about the perceptions of child communication needs and the use of coaching were also investigated during this study. This study was a single-subject, A-B design replicated across one parent/child dyad for 4 weeks. The use of the A-B design allowed an examination of the participant’s behaviors in clearly defined coaching conditions. Results indicated that the Shelden and Rush (2008) coaching model can be used to teach parent use of milieu strategies. Although the child did not use target words, there was an increase in the child’s total words and total different words from baseline. At the beginning of the study the child had one spoken word and by the end of the study, she had a total of six spoken words and two gestures. The parent became more aware of her child’s communication difficulties by the end of the study. Parent and child outcomes from this study will add to the growing body of research that supports the use of parent coaching to implement milieu strategies in naturalistic environments for late talking toddlers.
Keywords: Parent Coaching, late talkers, vocabulary, parent perceptions
