Play to Teach: Coaching Paraeducators to Facilitate Communication in the Preschool Classroom.

Frantz et al. (2019) built a formal coaching plan for paraeducators in preschool classrooms.

The aides learned to set up play and cue communication for children with mixed developmental delays.

Researchers watched each adult-child pair and tracked how well the adults followed the steps and how often the kids talked or signed.

After coaching, paraeducators used the steps far more often and with better form.

Children showed more communication acts, though the size of the jump varied from child to child.

Even kids with different goals made some gains, showing the package can fit more than one profile.

Castañe et al. (1993) did an early version: brief daily pep talks raised teachers’ social support and helped shy toddlers play more. Rebecca’s team added a full package and aimed it at paraeducators, proving the idea still works 25 years later.

Balikci (2026) swaps the human coach for an AI app that lets teachers coach themselves. Both studies lift adult fidelity, but AI could let one BCBA serve many rooms without driving across town.

Capio et al. (2013) looks like a clash: one year of parent coaching lifted social skills yet left language scores flat, while Rebecca saw communication gains. The gap fades when you note the 2013 kids had autism and were tested at home, while Rebecca’s mixed group practiced talking during classroom play with trained aides.

You can hand this package to aides tomorrow. It needs no tech, works in busy classrooms, and lifts both adult fidelity and child communication. If you run several rooms, pair it with Balikci’s AI tool to save travel time while keeping quality high.