Painting a portrayal of narrators with learning disabilities from two narrative perspectives

Abstract

ABSTRACTTwo narrative perspectives, high point analysis and episodic analysis, were used to compare the ability of narrators with and without learning disabilities to fulfill the referential and evaluative narrative functions. The participants were 82 students with learning disabilities and their typically achieving peers matched on age, grade, gender, and ethnicity. The participants (48 Caucasian, 34 African American) attended urban and suburban schools (Grades 4–7). Narratives were collected within the context of a naturalistic conversation. The findings across the two narrative perspectives showed areas of incongruence in specific narrative competencies. While these findings expand the portrayal of narrators with learning disabilities, they also imply the impact of using specific narrative analyses and genres for the narrative assessment and intervention outcomes.