2026 Early Hearing Detection & Intervention Conference
March 15-17, 2026 • Jacksonville, FL
| The State of Parent Coaching Education in SLP Graduate Schools
The State of Parent Coaching Education in SLP Graduate Schools
Introduction: This study examined the perspectives of early-career speech-language pathologists and graduate students on parent coaching. It assessed their understanding and readiness to apply parent coaching techniques, identifying educational gaps and evaluating training program effectiveness in preparing students for professional practice.
Methods: A total of 331 SLP students and clinical fellows from across the U.S. were recruited via email to participate in this study, with 250 completing an online questionnaire on their demographic background and parent coaching training experiences. The study utilized both descriptive statistics to analyze the demographic data and a grounded theory approach with Atlas.TI for qualitative data from Zoom interviews, focusing on the participants’ educational and clinical experiences in parent coaching.
Results: The research uncovered a major theme: "It's Not Happening," highlighting extensive gaps in parent coaching education within SLP graduate programs. Many students reported little to no formal training, resulting in significant misconceptions and ineffective application of parent coaching. There is a strong call for structured educational programs that include practical training opportunities and external resources to adequately prepare students for effective engagement with families and parents.
Conclusion: The findings indicate a critical deficiency in formal parent coaching education in SLP graduate programs, as evidenced by a survey and in-depth interviews with participants. There is an urgent need for SLP educational programs to incorporate comprehensive parent coaching training, including specialized courses and clinical experiences. Such enhancements could significantly improve graduates' capabilities in involving parents and caregivers, thereby improving therapeutic outcomes
and broadening the scope of support provided outside of clinical environments.
- Describe early-career and graduate students' perceptions of parent coaching
- Describe early-career and graduate students' training experiences of parent coaching.
- Describe early-career and graduate students' descriptions of parent coaching.
Presentation:
View Presentation File
Handouts:
Handout is not Available
Transcripts:
CART transcripts are NOT YET available, but will be posted shortly after the conference
Presenters/Authors
Alliete Alfano
(Primary Presenter), Florida International University, aalfano@fiu.edu;
Alliete Alfano, PhD, CCC-SLP, LSLS Cert. AVT, is a bilingual SLP, associate professor at Florida International University, an Auditory-Verbal Therapist, and President of the Alfano Center. She directs the Hearing, Empowerment, and Linguistic Diversity (HELD) Research Lab, that researches: 1) bilingual development in hearing loss; 2) developing clinical tools in Spanish for hearing loss; 3) developing auditory training tools; and 4) training individuals from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds to work with diverse patients with communication disorders.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
• Receives Salary for Employment from Florida International University.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists.
AAA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
Financial relationship with Florida International University.
Nature: full-time employee.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists.