Professional Development Effects on Early Intervention Providers’ Implementation of Home Visiting Practices

Abstract

A non-concurrent multiple baseline design across four early intervention providers was used to examine functional relations between job-embedded professional development (PD), including practice-based coaching (PBC), and providers’ fidelity of implementation of home visiting practices for embedded intervention. Four providers with one to two caregivers and their toddler with disabilities or developmental delays participated. The primary dependent measure was the number of essential home visiting practices providers implemented with fidelity. Results from visual analyses showed a functional relation between job-embedded PD and the number of essential home visiting practices implemented with fidelity for three of four providers. Provider and caregiver social validity data indicated PD and home visiting practices and embedded intervention were appropriate, feasible, and useful. Results provide promising evidence for job-embedded PD, including PBC, to support providers’ fidelity of implementation of home visiting practices for embedded intervention. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.