Narrative discourse in children with language disorders and children with normal language: a critical review of the literature.

This review and analysis of the literature on narrative discourse in children places particular emphasis on children with language disorder. The review (a) describes theoretical perspectives on narrative use, (b) surveys researchers' rationales for the investigation of narrative ability, (c) discusses methodological issues relevant to narrative research, and (d) concludes with a discussion regarding future research. Specific topics contained within these discussions include contributions from allied disciplines, the pragmatic nature of narrative use, narrative ability as an index of language development, methodological issues in research design, and clinical implications of future research.