Use of Coaching in Speech-Language Therapy: Current Evidence and Future Applications

Delaware Speech-Language-Hearing Association Presents
A Virtual Evening Meeting: Thursday, October 23rd, 2025, 6:30pm- 8:00pm 

Course title: Use of Coaching in Speech-Language Therapy: Current Evidence and Future Applications

Presenter: Maura O’Fallon, PhD, CCC-SLP

Short speaker bio:

Maura O’Fallon is a licensed speech-language pathologist and postdoctoral researcher with the Treatment Efficacy and Language Learning (TELL) Lab at the University of Delaware. She completed her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Spanish at the University of Virginia, and Master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology at University of Maryland, College Park. Before pursuing her Doctoral degree at Temple University, Maura worked as a school-based speech-language pathologist providing therapy to students with a wide range of communication needs, as well as associated challenges with learning, literacy and behavior. Maura’s research interests are driven by her clinical experiences and observations. Broadly, she is interested in the implementation of family-centered language interventions. This includes understanding how clinicians can work with caregivers to support children’s early language and literacy development. She is further interested in how school-based clinicians can leverage indirect service models to enhance children’s therapy dosage and outcomes. Her research has been supported by the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH; 5F31DC019864-02).

Course description: 

Indirect service delivery models, such as practice-based coaching, may address challenges associated with SLP shortages. This course will describe one evidence-based approach to coaching and known applications of coaching in SLP therapy. Participants will be asked to consider how they may adapt coaching for use in their own practice.

Course instructional level: Intermediate

Instructional methods: lecture/small group activities

Learning objectives:  

• Contrast direct and indirect service delivery models.
• Identify the four phases of practice-based coaching. 
• Identify at least two evidence-based applications of coaching in speech-language therapy.
• Predict one modification to practice-based coaching that may be required for service delivery in your clinical setting.

Time ordered agenda: This can be broken up in any way, as long as it totals 1.5 hours. 

• 6:00-6:30 – Introduction and learning objectives; Small group activity
• 6:15-6:45 – Literature review of coaching and its applications in SLP therapy; Small group activity
• 6:45-7:15 – Considering context specific adaptations of coaching; Small group activity 
• 7:15-7:30 – Questions and discussion

Financial and non-financial disclosures:

Disclosure: Maura O’Fallon, Postdoctoral Researcher and Speech-Language Pathologist

Financial— 

• Compensation is not being received for this talk.

 Nonfinancial—

• Dr. O’Fallon has a pending grant proposal to study the application of practice-based coaching in school settings.

Registration & Satisfactory Completion Requirement: 

Register online by Tuesday October 21st at 12pm : https://dsha.org/events

Members should login before attempting to register.

Cost: Members= Free , Non-Members=35$

A link will be sent to registered attendees only, the day before the event.

In order to earn a certificate of completion for this course, participants must attend the full session, complete a post-course self-assessment, and course evaluation. Participants must indicate when signing up for the course if they would like their participation reported to ASHA CE.

Partial credit will not be awarded, attendance will be monitored throughout the

presentation. 

A post-test will be sent to all attendees following the event and must be

completed and returned to DSHA within the stated time frame in order to receive

a certificate of attendance.

Additionally, in order to receive a certificate of attendance, an attendee must be a

registered DSHA member or, pay the non-member registration fee in advance of

the event. Failure to meet one of these conditions will result in the attendee not

receiving their certificate of attendance and their attendance will not be reported

to ASHA.

1.5 PDHs will be offered for attendance and successful completion of post

presentation testing