Examining the quality of children's stories: clinical applications

Research has shown that narrative analysis is an appropriate method for assessing the narrative skills of children from diverse backgrounds. Child narrative studies are reviewed to show crosslinguistic similarities and differences across Spanish and English speakers. An approach that examines the quality of children's narratives based on research with Spanish-speaking children is then described. The protocol focuses on the plot, clarity, cohesion, specificity, and memorable features of narratives as assessment categories. Methodological issues are discussed, and narrative samples from two children with and without language impairment are used to illustrate the analysis.