Efficacy of training job coaches to implement evidence-based instructional strategies

BACKGROUND: High-quality job coaching services are pivotal to the vocational success of adults with severe disabilities. However, many job coaches lack formal training in evidence-based instructional practices. OBJECTIVE: In this study, we test the efficacy of a training package on the degree to which six job coaches implement three evidence-based instructional practices with fidelity (i.e., task analysis, simultaneous prompting, and least-to-most prompting). METHOD: The training package features promising strategies that are validated in the broader staff training literature: description, modeling, and performance feedback on implementation steps. Six multiple baseline across behavior experiments were conducted. RESULTS: All participants made progress toward correct implementation with group training, although some participants required individualized coaching to achieve correct implementation of all steps. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides preliminary evidence that promising training strategies can be used to train job coaches to implement evidence-based instructional practices for adults with severe disabilities. In addition, this training provides one model for how to use both group and one-to-one coaching formats in tandem to promote implementation fidelity.