The Development of Spanish Narrative Macrostructure in Spanish–English Bilingual Children with and without Developmental Language Disorder
Date of Submission
Spring 2026
Document Type
Closed Research Project
Degree Name
Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology
Department
Speech-Language Pathology
First Advisor
Lourdes Martinez-Nieto, PhD
Abstract
Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) is characterized by persistent difficulties in language development that cannot be explained by hearing loss, intellectual disability, or neurological conditions (Leonard, 2014; Tsimpli et al., 2015). Children with DLD commonly demonstrate deficits in both expressive and receptive language, which can negatively impact academic achievement, social interaction, and overall communication effectiveness. These difficulties often persist across development and are particularly evident in tasks requiring complex language organization, such as narrative production. Narrative abilities rely on both macrostructure (e.g., story grammar elements) and microstructure (e.g., morphosyntax and grammatical accuracy). Children with DLD frequently exhibit weaknesses in morphosyntax, including difficulties with verb tense marking, agreement, and sentence structure (Leonard, 2014; Tsimpli et al., 2016) which may impact narrative macrostructure performance. The present study examined the development of narrative macrostructure in Spanish-English bilingual children with and without DLD. Participants were bilingual children who completed narrative retell tasks in Spanish over 5 years. Narrative performance was analyzed using a structured rubric assessing grammar elements. Results indicated that children with DLD demonstrated lower narrative macrostructure scores compared to their typically developing peers across grade levels. Although both groups showed improvement over time, typically developing children consistently outperformed children with DLD. These findings suggest that while narrative skills develop with age, children with DLD perform lower than their typically developing peers and continue to experience challenges in organizing and conveying coherent narratives.
Recommended Citation
Baumgartner, April, "The Development of Spanish Narrative Macrostructure in Spanish–English Bilingual Children with and without Developmental Language Disorder" (2026). Speech-Language Pathology Research Projects. 69.
https://scholarworks.atsu.edu/slp-researchprojects/69