Oral narrative ability has received increasing attention over the past three decades, and the importance of children's oral narrative skills to academic achievement has been well established. Children with reading disabilities are known to demonstrate difficulties in the ability to produce and comprehend oral narratives (Roth & Spekman, 1986; Snyder & Downey, 1991). However, the nature of the relationship between oral narrative ability and reading comprehension performance in children with reading disability is not clear. The experiments reported in this thesis aim to address this issue. The following questions are asked: 1) Do deficits in oral narrative ability contribute to reading comprehension difficulties? and 2) What is the likely direction of the relationship between aspects of oral narrative ability and reading comprehension performance in children with reading disabilities? Fourteen children (aged between 6;4 and 7;8 at the initial assessment) with mixed reading disability (MRD: i.e., children who demonstrate both word recognition and listening comprehension deficits) participated in the study. Their oral narrative skills were compared to those of their chronological age-matched peers with typical development (TD) and their reading-age-matched peers with typical development (RMTD). The study consisted of three phases: 1) A longitudinal phase in which the children's oral narrative performance was assessed on three occasions over a two-year period; 2) An intervention phase (using a nonequivalent pretest-posttest control group design) in which 10 children participated in an oral narrative intervention program that focused on enhancing children's story structure knowledge; and 3) A follow-up assessment phase conducted eight months post-intervention. Oral narratives were elicited in a personal narrative context and in a story retelling context. Oral narrative production ability was analysed at macrostructure (story quality) and microstructure (morpho-syntax and vocabulary) levels. Oral narrative comprehension was assessed in a fictional story context through questions relating to story structure elements. Reading comprehension performance was assessed using a standardised test of reading ability. The results from the longitudinal study showed that the children with MRD demonstrated inferior oral narrative production and oral narrative comprehension performance compared to their peers with typical reading development at each assessment occasion. When comparing the poor readers' performance to the RMTD group at the third assessment trial, the results suggested that the children with MRD demonstrated a specific deficit in oral narrative comprehension. In contrast, a pattern of delay was observed on the microstructure measures of oral narrative performance. The results from the intervention indicated significant treatment effects with large effect sizes for oral narrative comprehension performance. Despite this improvement in oral narrative comprehension, there was little change in oral narrative production ability, and transfer to reading comprehension was not evident. Although the follow-up assessment indicated sustained improvement in oral narrative comprehension for the children with MRD, accelerated reading comprehension progress was not evident. The findings from the longitudinal case study highlighted the benefits of oral narrative intervention for a child considered at high risk of continuing academic difficulties. This thesis provides evidence of the persistent oral narrative difficulties in children with MRD. The findings also provide support for the importance of narrative structure knowledge to these poor readers' oral narrative comprehension performance. The results demonstrate that oral narrative comprehension ability explains only a small amount of the variance in reading comprehension performance. Rather, the persistent word recognition difficulties of the children with MRD exert the biggest influence on their reading comprehension performance. These results are discussed in terms of current models of reading and language development. Implications for clinical practice are also addressed.

Oral narrative ability has received increasing attention over the past three decades, and the importance of children's oral narrative skills to academic achievement has been well established. Children with reading disabilities are known to demonstrate difficulties in the ability to produce and comprehend oral narratives (Roth & Spekman, 1986; Snyder & Downey, 1991). However, the nature of the relationship between oral narrative ability and reading comprehension performance in children with reading disability is not clear. The experiments reported in this thesis aim to address this issue. The following questions are asked: 1) Do deficits in oral narrative ability contribute to reading comprehension difficulties? and 2) What is the likely direction of the relationship between aspects of oral narrative ability and reading comprehension performance in children with reading disabilities? Fourteen children (aged between 6;4 and 7;8 at the initial assessment) with mixed reading disability (MRD: i.e., children who demonstrate both word recognition and listening comprehension deficits) participated in the study. Their oral narrative skills were compared to those of their chronological age-matched peers with typical development (TD) and their reading-age-matched peers with typical development (RMTD). The study consisted of three phases: 1) A longitudinal phase in which the children's oral narrative performance was assessed on three occasions over a two-year period; 2) An intervention phase (using a nonequivalent pretest-posttest control group design) in which 10 children participated in an oral narrative intervention program that focused on enhancing children's story structure knowledge; and 3) A follow-up assessment phase conducted eight months post-intervention. Oral narratives were elicited in a personal narrative context and in a story retelling context. Oral narrative production ability was analysed at macrostructure (story quality) and microstructure (morpho-syntax and vocabulary) levels. Oral narrative comprehension was assessed in a fictional story context through questions relating to story structure elements. Reading comprehension performance was assessed using a standardised test of reading ability. The results from the longitudinal study showed that the children with MRD demonstrated inferior oral narrative production and oral narrative comprehension performance compared to their peers with typical reading development at each assessment occasion. When comparing the poor readers' performance to the RMTD group at the third assessment trial, the results suggested that the children with MRD demonstrated a specific deficit in oral narrative comprehension. In contrast, a pattern of delay was observed on the microstructure measures of oral narrative performance. The results from the intervention indicated significant treatment effects with large effect sizes for oral narrative comprehension performance. Despite this improvement in oral narrative comprehension, there was little change in oral narrative production ability, and transfer to reading comprehension was not evident. Although the follow-up assessment indicated sustained improvement in oral narrative comprehension for the children with MRD, accelerated reading comprehension progress was not evident. The findings from the longitudinal case study highlighted the benefits of oral narrative intervention for a child considered at high risk of continuing academic difficulties. This thesis provides evidence of the persistent oral narrative difficulties in children with MRD. The findings also provide support for the importance of narrative structure knowledge to these poor readers' oral narrative comprehension performance. The results demonstrate that oral narrative comprehension ability explains only a small amount of the variance in reading comprehension performance. Rather, the persistent word recognition difficulties of the children with MRD exert the biggest influence on their reading comprehension performance. These results are discussed in terms of current models of reading and language development. Implications for clinical practice are also addressed.

Children with neurodevelopmental disorders like Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and/or Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) often suffer from variable impairments in language and pragmatic abilities. The purpose of this study was to investigate language and pragmatics in children with ADHD and/or ASD (D-group) compared with a control group with no diagnose (ND-group). 22 children with diagnose, 4 girls and 18 boys aged 9:4–13:6, and 26 children with typical development, 10 girls and 16 boys, aged 10:5–13:4 were tested with a battery of tests concerning language and pragmatics. Their parents filled in a questionnaire regarding pragmatic abilities. The D-group performed poorer than the ND-group in all tests. Correlations were found between several pragmatic and language tests results in the D-group, and a few correlations were found in the ND-group. Some tests were particularly difficult for the D-group. An attempt was made to find subgroups in the D-groups test results via cluster analysis, but without success. The results emphasize the need of routine speech-language pathologist assessment during diagnostic evaluation of children with neurodevelopmental disabilities. / Barn med neuropsykiatriska funktionsnedsättningar som Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) och/eller autismspektrumtillstånd (ASD) uppvisar ofta mer eller mindre subtila svårigheter med språk och pragmatik. Syftet med föreliggande studie var att undersöka språkliga och pragmatiska förmågor hos barn med ADHD och/eller ASD (D-grupp) jämfört med en kontrollgrupp utan diagnos (ND-grupp). 22 barn med diagnos varav 4 flickor och 18 pojkar i åldrarna 9:4–13:6, och 26 barn i åldrarna 10:5–13:4 rekryterades och testades med ett batteri av språkliga och pragmatiska tester. Deras föräldrar fyllde även i ett formulär om barnens pragmatiska förmågor. D-gruppen hade sämre resultat än kontroll-gruppen i alla tester. Korrelationer hittades mellan flera pragmatiska och språkliga testresultat i D-gruppen, och några korrelationer hittades även i ND-gruppen. Vissa test var speciellt svåra för D-gruppen. Ett försök att finna undergrupper i D-gruppens testresultat via klusteranalys gjordes även, men utan framgång. Resultaten understryker vikten av logopedisk bedömning som del i multiprofessionell neuropsykiatrisk utredning.

Aphasia is a linguistic impairment which affects communication and may have an impact on a person’s narrative ability. The purpose of the present study was to analyse the narrative ability in aphasia by narrative interviews with people with aphasia and their partners. The interviews were scrutinised for strategies used in joint narration involving couples where one of the spouses has aphasia. The definition of strategies was methods to cope with communicative difficulties often due to aphasia. Strategies were also studied in an assessment of independent narration. The specific questions were: Which strategies do couples, consisting of one person with aphasia and their partner, use in joint narration? Which strategies does the person with aphasia use in independent narration? Are there any differences in the use of strategies in joint narration compared to independent narration? Five couples were recruited from conversational groups for people with aphasia in the south of Sweden. The couples were asked questions which were meant to encourage joint narration and the interviews were filmed. In addition to the interview, the narrative ability of the individuals with aphasia was assessed with the Swedish aphasia test A-ning. The interviews and the assessments were transcribed according to principles from conversation analysis. The result showed a variation regarding type of strategies occurring in the couples’ narrations and the frequency of these strategies. In joint narration, repetition was the strategy most commonly used by individuals with aphasia, followed by self-initiated self-repair, word search and gestures. The partners also used repetition to a high extent as well as appendor production. The conclusion of this study is that the narrative ability of the persons with aphasia in independent narration to some extent corresponded with their ability in joint narration. However, there were great differences between how the individuals with aphasia and their partners used strategies to cope with difficulties in joint narration. / Afasi medför påverkan på kommunikationen då den språkliga förmågan är nedsatt, vilket i sin tur inverkar på narrationen. Syftet med föreliggande studie var att undersöka den narrativa förmågan hos personer med afasi genom narrativa intervjuer med personer med afasi och deras partners. Med intervjuerna som utgångspunkt studerades vilka strategier, det vill säga metoder att hantera problem som uppstår i kommunikationen oftast till följd av afasin, som används vid gemensamt berättande i par där en av personerna har afasi samt vilka strategier personen med afasi använder vid självständigt berättande i testsituation. Frågeställningarna var: Vilka strategier används vid gemensamt berättande i par där en av personerna har afasi? Vilka strategier använder personen med afasi vid självständigt berättande i testsituation? Finns det skillnader i det gemensamma och enskilda berättandet vad gäller användningen av strategier? Via samtalsgrupper i södra Sverige för personer med afasi rekryterades fem par till studien. Paren filmades i berättande intervjuer där de fick svara på frågor som uppmuntrade till gemensamt berättande. Utöver intervjun utfördes även en formell testning av personen med afasi med narrationsdelen i A-ning. Både intervjuerna och testningarna transkriberades enligt samtalsanalytiska principer. Resultatet visade att det rådde variation gällande typ av strategier och hur ofta de förekom i parens berättande. De vanligast förekommande strategierna hos personerna med afasi vid gemensamt berättande var repetition, egeninitierad självreparation, ordsökning och gester. Även partners till personerna med afasi använde sig mest av repetition, följt av utökad produktion. Slutsatsen är att personernas med afasi narrationsförmåga i det enskilda berättandet till viss del överensstämde med deras narrationsförmåga i det gemensamma berättandet, samt att det fanns stora skillnader mellan hur personerna med afasi och deras partners använde sig av strategier för att hantera de svårigheter som uppstår i berättandet.

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The main purpose of this study was to compare how the Step-by-Step™ (S-b-S) and the newly developed How Was School Today (HWST) prototype can support participation in narrative activities for a 10-year-old boy with complex communication needs (CCN) when he interacts with two typically developed peers. The researchers wanted to find out how the use of the different communication aids affected interaction. The S-b-S is a low technology communication device with a voice recording function. The HWST prototype is a simulation of the HWST system, which is a high technology system that automatically collects information and creates stories about what the user has done in school. The researchers focused on different aspects of gaze and questions as vital communicative practices for the boy‟s involvement in the interaction, and hence, thestory telling activity. The data was analysed mainly qualitatively with conversation analysis (CA). A descriptive quantitative analysis was also developed. The results indicate that the HWST prototype provides a framework for establishment of joint orientation towards the prototype and questions about it. The S-b-S on the other hand creates a context in which it is easier to establish eye contact. There is an uneven distribution of questions with a much higher frequency in the session where the HWST prototype was used. There are not many studies on narrative ability in children with CCN together with peers. Future research on shared stories in natural environments is suggested. / Denna studies huvudsyfte var att jämföra hur kommunikationshjälpmedlen Step-by-Step™ (S-b-S) och den nyligen utvecklade How Was School Today-prototypen (HWST) kan stödja deltagandet i berättandeaktiviteter för en 10-årig pojke med komplexa kommunikativa behov när han interagerar med två typiskt utvecklade kamrater. Forskarna ville ta reda på hur användandet av de olika kommunikationshjälpmedlen påverkade interaktionen. S-b-S är ett lågteknologiskt kommunikationshjälpmedel med röstinspelningsfunktion. HWST-prototypen är en simulering av HWST-systemet, som är ett högteknologiskt system som automatisk samlar in information och skapar berättelser om vad användaren har gjort i skolan. Forskarnas fokuserade på olika aspekter av blickriktning och frågor, som centrala kommunikativa praktiker för pojkens involvering i interaktionen, och därmed i berättandet. Data analyserades främst kvalitativt med metoden samtalsanalys. Det utvecklades även en deskriptiv kvantitativ analys. Resultaten visar att HWSTprototypen förser samtalet med ett ramverk som underlättar etablerandet av gemensam orientering till prototypen och frågor som rör den. S-b-S skapar å andra sidan en kontext i vilken det är lättare att utveckla ögonkontakt. Det är en ojämn fördelning av frågor, med en mycket högre frekvens i sessionen där HWST-prototypen användes. Det finns inte många studier om narrativ förmåga hos barn med CCN i samtal med kamrater. Framtida studier av berättande i naturliga miljöer föreslås. / "How was School today…?" in the Wild

I dagens samhälle har användning av digitala medier ökat drastiskt och i fler områden. Användning av mobila pekskärmenheter har ökat successivt hos småbarn och förskolebarn, och åldern när barn först exponeras till dessa enheter har minskat. Till skillnad från en tidigare tidsperiod utsätts barn idag för en stor mängd stimuli från digital media under sina utvecklingsår. De kort- och långsiktiga effekterna av denna typ av exponering är fortfarande inte helt utforskade. Theory of Mind (ToM) är ett väsentligt område i utvecklingsprocessen hos barn. Vi har i denna studie undersökt barns ToM i en narrativ kontext, där vi bryter ner och analyserarderas yttranden och beteendemönster som visar ToM-förmåga både språkligt och interaktionellt. Multimodal interaktionsanalys låg som grund för analyserna i denna studie, där 45 barn speladesin när de berättar utifrån bilder i boken ”Frog, where are you?”. Resultatet redovisades både kvalitativt för att besvara frågan hur barn visar ToM-förmåga i ett narrativt sammanhang, och kvantitativt för att besvara frågan huruvida det finns en korrelation mellan ToM-förmåga ochdigital mediaanvänding. Det kvantitativa resultatet visade inget signifikant samband mellandigital mediaanvändning eller bokläsning och ToM-förmågan hos barn. Det kvalitativa resultatetvisar att barn integrerar flera olika kunskapsområden för att uppvisa sin ToM både språkligt ochinteraktionellt. / Currently, the use of digital media has increased significantly and has become dominant in manyareas in our society. The use of mobile touch screen devices has increased gradually in youngchildren and preschool children, and the age at which children are first exposed to these deviceshas decreased. Unlike earlier eras, children today are exposed to a substantial quantity of stimulifrom digital media during their developmental years. The short- and long-term effects of thistype of exposure are still not fully explored. Theory of Mind is an essential part of thedevelopmental process in children. In this study, we examined children's ToM in a narrative context, where we analyzed their statements and behavioural patterns that show ToM abilities both linguistically and interactively. Multimodal interaction analysis was the basis for the analyses in this study, where 45 children were recorded when they told a story called "Frog, where are you?". The results were reported qualitatively to answer the question of how children show ToM ability in a narrative context, and quantitatively to answer the question of whether there is acorrelation between ToM ability and children’s digital media use. The quantitative result showed no significant relation between digital media usage or book reading and children’s ToM ability.The qualitative result shows that children integrate several different areas of knowledge to present their ToM both linguistically and interactively, during the narrative activity.