An Exploratory Case Study of Providers' Collaborative Consultation Practices With Latina Mothers During Home Visits

In this exploratory case study, 4 early intervention providers' use of collaborative intervention strategies and everyday activities was examined in relation to the participation of a small group of Latina mothers (n = 10) during home visits over a 6-month period in an urban community. Videotapes (n = 40) of home visits were clustered into more and less active groups and analyzed using a structured, interval-based coding protocol that contained operationally defined coaching, teaching, and support behaviors, as well as definitions of typical activities/routines. Findings provide a description of collaborative strategy use in these 2 groups of home visits and reveal a significantly greater use of joint interaction, a specific coaching strategy, in sessions where there was more active caregiver participation. In addition, more child-focused interactions by the provider led to significantly less active participation among these Latina mothers. Consistent with prior research, play-based routines dominated home-visiting sessions. The 2 groups did not differ significantly in their participation in different routines. Implications for research and practice are discussed.