Narrative production in English speaking children aged 5-7 years with typical language development and developmental language disorder: Peter and the Cat

PurposeWe explored the development of expressive narrative skills when assessed using the Peter and the Cat narrative re -tell. We aimed to add to the toolbox that clinicians can draw upon to capture information about functional language use by providing a reference data set to support goal setting and inform therapy planning. MethodWe tested 129 typically developing English speaking children from ages 5-7, and compared their skills to those of 91 children with DLD at each age point. We assessed narrative macrostructure, microstructural narrative elements and linguistic features.ResultsAcross everything we measured, the typically developing children’s scores increased with age and increased more rapidly than the children with DLD, who tended to start behind and stay behind.ConclusionClinicians can use the tables within this paper as a reference guide when interpreting Peter and the Cat narrative data, and planning goals with children, families and teachers. Macrostructure yielded the greatest average effect sizes and should be targeted in intervention, along with microstructure (in particular morphosyntax) and linguistic features. The provision of this reference data set to inform goal planning should support clinicians to implement programmes adapted to individual needs.