BRIGHT Coaching: a Developmental Coach System to Empower Families of Preschoolers with Suspected Developmental Delays

 

Background

Healthy children develop critical skills during the preschool years, but children with developmental delays may struggle in skill development. Parents/caregivers often find it difficult to access the best diagnostic and interventional care and the best services during this important period of their child’s development. This can lead to significant frustration and stress for families.

BRIGHT Coaching is a study that asks whether a standardized online education and peer support tool and coaching resource is feasible and helpful to parents/caregivers of children aged two to four years old with suspected developmental delay. This randomized controlled trial is taking place in British Columbia, Manitoba, Quebec, and Nova Scotia. 

Overview

Child Health BC is the headquarters of the BC site of the BRIGHT Coaching trial. Dr. Maureen O’Donnell is one of the Principal Investigators of the overall trial, along with Dr. Annette Majnemer at McGill University. BRIGHT Coaching is part of the wider CHILD-BRIGHT Network, funded by the CIHR Strategy for Patient Oriented Research (SPOR) initiative. 

The BRIGHT Coaching program provides study participants with coaching sessions with a trained coach, online education, and a peer support platform. The evidence-based program was developed by an interdisciplinary research and is guided by the participation of a nine-member Parent Advisory Group. The hypothesis is that receiving this support will enhance parent/caregiver health and family health care experience.  

 

 

Current status

The BRIGHT Coaching trial is in the pilot period. Child Health BC is working with 11 Child Development Centres across BC to ensure regional representation of our diverse province.  

Website: https://www.child-bright.ca/bright-coaching/