Physical & Occupational Therapy in Pediatrics, 34(2):132–137, 2014 C  2014 by Informa Healthcare USA, Inc. Available online at http://informahealthcare.com/potp DOI: 10.3109/01942638.2014.903060 COMMENTARY Evidence to Practice Commentary New Evidence in Coaching Interventions Iona Novak Cerebral Palsy Alliance, School of Medicine, University of Notre Dame, Darlinghurst NSW, Australia Coaching has become a widely popularized strategy for improving one’s work per- formance and life accomplishments. As well as, being considered fundamental to successful sporting and athletic achievements. Coaching is a training or develop- ment process that supports an individual to achieve a competence, result, or goal (Wikipedia, 2014, para. 1). Since the origin of the word coaching comes from trans- portation, the meaning has evolved to describe, “the process used to transport peo- ple from where they are, to where they want to be” (Wikipedia, 2014, para. 4). The early childhood field has long established tradition of recommending parent coaching in early learning and parent–child attachment as a strategy for optimizing child outcomes and building social capacity. In the last decade, coaching has also been adopted as an intervention for both children with disabilities and for parents of a child with a disability. Coaching provides a solution-focused approach to helping children and parents achieve goals that are uniquely meaningful to them. The purpose of coaching for parents and children with disabilities is: “to increase knowledge, skills, and competence ... to enable participation in the context of the family’s daily life” (Foster et al., 2013, p. 254). Coaching is different to traditional therapy in that therapists do not tell the parent or child what to do, but rather help the parent or child to solve problems and find possible solutions, using self-directed learning that enhances the individual’s capabilities (Foster et al., 2013). Coaching involves (a) emotional support; (b) information exchange; and (c) a structured learning process involving (i) goal-setting; (ii) exploring options; (iii) planning action; (iv) carrying out plans in real-life environments; (v) checking performance through analysis and reflection; and (vi) generalization (Graham et al., 2010). Mother’s believe that good coaching involves a collaborative relationship with the therapist characterized by open communication, knowledge sharing, reflection, and critical analysis (Foster et al., 2013). If the reflection and analysis components Address correspondence to: Iona Novak, PhD, A/Professor Iona Novak, Head of Research, Cerebral Palsy Alliance, School of Medicine, University of Notre Dame, PO Box 560, Darlinghurst NSW 1300, Australia (E-mail: inovak@cerebralpalsy.org.au). (Received February 2014; accepted March 2014) 132