The evidence guide provides advice on assessment and must be read in conjunction with the performance criteria, required skills and knowledge, range statement and the Assessment Guidelines for the Training Package.

Overview of assessment

Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit

Evidence of the ability to:

apply inclusive and non-discriminatory coaching practices and adapt coaching styles and resources to encourage athlete participation and interaction using communication strategies appropriate to the specific needs of the athletes

conduct and monitor coaching sessions for athletes with specific needs that take into consideration the readiness of the athlete to develop the required skills and other factors and review and adapt the teaching of a skill in response to feedback

evaluate and reflect on own work performance to identify ways in which coaching outcomes can be improved.

Context of and specific resources for assessment

Assessment must ensure:

demonstration of the resourcing and delivery of multiple coaching sessions to athletes with specific needs relevant to the individual’s current or intended work role of sufficient duration to demonstrate competency and consistency of performance.

Assessment must also ensure access to:

an environment or facility appropriate to the activity specific coaching session

athletes with specific needs relevant to the individual’s current or intended work situation

equipment and resources required for the delivery of the coaching session including venues, support staff, equipment and materials

documentation such as relevant legislation and organisational policies and procedures.

Method of assessment

A range of assessment methods should be used to assess practical skills and knowledge. The following examples are appropriate for this unit:

observation of interaction with a range of athletes with specific needs and support personnel, including collecting information about athlete’s needs, delivering and adapting coaching sessions and seeking feedback

oral or written questioning to assess knowledge of factors that may affect the ability of athletes with specific needs to acquire relevant skills

third-party reports from a supervisor detailing appropriate work performed by the individual.

Guidance information for assessment

Holistic assessment with other units relevant to the industry sector, workplace and job role is recommended, for example:

SISSSCO409 Work collaboratively with support personnel

Sport specific technical units.

Required skills

communication skills to:

build rapport with athletes with specific needs

liaise with support personnel

deliver coaching sessions to athletes with specific needs

seek feedback on coaching sessions

problem-solving skills to:

adapt teaching methods and coaching styles to include athletes with specific needs

evaluate sessions and make modifications to improve outcomes for athletes with specific needs

planning and organising to resource and plan coaching sessions according to the needs, abilities and risk factors of athletes with specific needs including adapting equipment as required

self-management skills to review and reflect on own work.

Required knowledge

relevant legislation and organisational policies and procedures to enable safe, non-discriminatory and inclusive coaching practices for athletes with specific needs

relevant activity or sport-specific knowledge to enable effective planning for the development of relevant skills

assistive devices or equipment for athletes with specific needs to enable customisation of coaching

principles of inclusive learning and participation to enable athletes with specific needs to access and make decisions regarding their participation in mainstream coaching sessions and competitions

factors that may affect the ability of athletes with specific needs to acquire relevant skills to enable these to be addressed in the planning and delivery of coaching sessions

teaching methods and coaching styles to facilitate the development of relevant skills for athletes with specific needs

competition options, rules and requirements for athletes with specific needs

classification systems to enable equitable competition among athletes with similar functional ability or medical conditions where appropriate.

The range statement relates to the unit of competency as a whole. It allows for different work environments and situations that may affect performance. Bold italicised wording, if used in the performance criteria, is detailed below. Essential operating conditions that may be present with training and assessment (depending on the work situation, needs of the individual, accessibility of the item, and local industry and regional contexts) may also be included.

Needsmay include:

medical considerations

safety considerations

levels of support and care

physical considerations

cultural considerations

social considerations.

Relevant legislationmay include:

work health and safety

child protection

anti discrimination

privacy

duty of care.

Organisational policies and proceduresmay include:

resource allocation

space allocation

work health and safety

storage and use of information

best practice principles for the sport:

the sport or activity's Coach or Instructor Code of Behaviour policy

the Australian Sports Commission (ASC) Coach Code of Ethics policy

national activity organisation regulations and guidelines

the culture of the sport or activity

sport specific policies related to athletes with specific needs

sport-specific or medically based classification systems.

Support personnelmay include:

classifiers

disability specific

sport administrators

team managers

gear stewards

other coaches

competition managers

facility managers

fitness professionals

officials

sports physician

sports trainer

sports doctor

parent or guardian

physiotherapist

accredited exercise physiologist

sports scientist

remedial massage therapist

accredited practising dietician

psychologist.

Athletes with specific needsmay include:

mature aged

pregnant

menopausal

elite juniors

culturally and linguistically diverse

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders

intellectual impairment

physical disability

sensory impairment

mental illness.

Factorsmay include:

level of ability

impact of disability

ageing processes

range of movement

safety factors

recovery techniques

social characteristics

participation versus competitive motivations

previous experience and understanding

cognitive factors

cultural values

religious beliefs

communication strategies

level of literacy and numeracy.

Activity specific modifications may include:

reduced court dimensions

rule modifications

equipment modifications

clothing or uniform

introduction of zones

scoring modifications.

Functional ability may include:

sight

hearing

movement

memory

balance

interpretation of instructions

interpretation of demonstrations.

Coaching or instructional stylesmay include:

informal when appropriate

mentoring

whole, part, whole approaches

shaping approaches

modelling approaches

command and response approaches

directive approaches through specific set tasks

reciprocal or peer tutoring approaches

feedback and refinement approaches

guided discovery approaches

experiential or problem solving approaches.

Resourcesmay include:

equipment

materials

indoor or outdoor facilities

assistive devices.

Communication techniques may include:

verbal

visual

tactile.

Monitormay include:

questioning and discussion

observations

cross referencing with session or program objectives

ongoing functional assessments of skill performance, physical performance and athlete wellbeing

consultation with other personnel or specialists.

Feedbackmay include:

verbal

written

video recording of session

critical questioning and review of personal performance

self-reflection or diary.

Modificationsmay include:

communication style

coaching style

coaching approach

duration or type of activities.