Essential coaching qualities for training children with developmental disabilities

Introduction: Working with kids with disabilities requires effective strategies and well-qualified coaches. Developmental disabilities include: autism spectrum disorder, Down syndrome, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Objective: To clarify the most important qualities valued in a coach of kids with developmental disabilities, and whether these attributes are representative of foundational elements for creating a supportive learning environment. Methods: unstructured interview with a random sample of 20 Jordanian parents to express: what is the most important thing they want from their child's coach? After the literature review, 4 Jordanian Experts in developmental disability coaching were consulted to rate each quality about the others using a 1–9 importance scale. An Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) framework was employed, utilizing pairwise comparisons to break down complex judgments into manageable, quantifiable components. Results: showed that parents' point of view identified 4 important qualities, and the 5th quality (Expertise) was added after consulting a specialist, as previous studies had indicated. Discussion: placed the qualities in order of importance. A matrix was normalized, and local priority weights were calculated by averaging for each row. Consistency checks were then conducted using the Consistency Ratio (CR) to ensure reliable judgments. The derived priority weights concluded that: Expertise in special education ranks highest (S) 36.4%, followed by empathy(E) 27.7%, communication skills(C) 18.2%, patience(P) 10.9%, and adaptability(A) 6.8%. Conclusions: provide theoretical and practical insights about coaching qualities, informing professional development programs and recruitment strategies for coaches working with children with developmental disabilities.