Individualized Narrative Intervention for School-Age Children With Specific Language Impairment

Area of Science:

• Speech-Language Pathology
• Child Language Development
• Clinical Linguistics

Background:

• Narrative intervention is crucial for improving communication skills in children.
• Specific Language Impairment (SLI) affects language development, including narrative abilities.
• Standardized protocols like Story Champs offer a structured approach to narrative intervention.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of the Story Champs intervention protocol.
• To assess the impact on personal narrative generation in school-age children with SLI.
• To extend research on narrative intervention strategies for children with language impairments.

Main Methods:

• A single-case design study with a multiple baseline across behaviors, repeated across four second-grade boys with SLI.
• Systematic scaffolding (visual and verbal supports) was provided and faded during one-on-one sessions.
• Targeted individualized story grammar elements and measured personal narrative generation using a 4-point rubric.

Main Results:

• A functional relation between the Story Champs intervention and improved narrative generation was observed for two out of four participants.
• Replication of effects across three targeted story grammar elements was evaluated for each participant.
• Preliminary evidence suggests efficacy for individually administered Story Champs.

Conclusions:

• The Story Champs intervention shows preliminary efficacy for improving personal narrative skills in some children with SLI.
• Individually administered intervention may be a viable approach for this population.
• Further research is warranted to confirm findings and explore broader applications.