Educational Coaching for Students with Developmental Disabilities: An Emerging Best Practice on Campus

The UCLA Tarjan Center hosted a webinar introducing educational coaching, a practice that supports student skills in organization, executive functioning, study habits, stress management, self-advocacy, social interaction, and accessing resources on campus and beyond. Recent data from the California Community College system and beyond suggest that educational coaching may be effective in enhancing the persistence and success of college students with developmental disabilities, such as autism and intellectual disability. Tarjan's own Dr. Christine Moody was joined by Rachel Martinez and April Fante from the San Diego and North Orange Community College Districts, respectively, to share about the use of educational coaching in the College to Career programs. We were also joined by Jennifer Tabb and Mia Keeley at the California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office, who shared that educational coaching is an allowable expense within broader Disabled Students Programs and Services (DSPS) funding - paving the way for expanded availability of this support service. Practical considerations for implementation were also shared.