BRIGHT Coaching Program for Families

Children with, or at elevated risk for, brain-based developmental disabilities can experience lifelong consequences and challenges throughout their development. In particular, preschool years (3-6 years of age) can be stressful as families wait to get services and care for their child. Nationally and internationally, service delivery models during this critical period are not standardized, and differ within and across provinces and across patient conditions, leading to long wait times, service gaps and duplications. This study has two main hypotheses: 1. A standardized approach to "coaching" (i.e. coach + online education tools + peer support network) is feasible in the real-life context, and acceptable to caregivers and can be delivered across multiple sites in urban/suburban/rural settings. 2. A standardized approach to "coaching" enhances parental health (parents' empowerment and sense of competence, quality of life, and minimizes parenting stress), family health care experience (care coordination experience and process of care) at similar health care cost (economic analysis), when compared to usual and locally available care.