Integrating Oral and Written Language Through CGI Films: Contextual Interventions in Action

In a recent post, I emphasized the the importance of contextualized language interventions over traditional, decontextualized therapy methods. I explained how embedding language goals into meaningful, real-world activities—such as literacy-based tasks and narrative therapy—results in greater engagement, better learning, and improved generalization of skills. Today I wanted to illustrate how incorporating engaging materials such as animated CGI films can bring meaningful context to therapy sessions. Contextualized interventions supported by research, show greater success in improving both oral and written language skills in children with developmental language disorders (DLD) and other learning challenges. This post was written to illustrate how oral and written language development can be effectively integrated in therapy sessions.

Why Use Contextualized Interventions?

Contextualized language interventions (CLI) prioritize meaningful and connected activities that target multiple language goals simultaneously. Research demonstrates that CLI improves narrative comprehension and production, macro- and microstructural language skills, and generalization to academic and social settings (Gillam et al., 2012; Kamhi, 2014). Unlike decontextualized approaches, which focus on isolated skills, CLI fosters deeper knowledge retention and application by connecting language tasks to familiar contexts.

Animated Films: The Ideal Contextual Tool

Animated CGI films provide a rich medium to target a range of language goals:

1. Narrative Skills: These films often follow a clear story structure, allowing children to practice identifying settings, initiating events, character reactions, and resolutions (Stein & Glenn, 1979).
2. Vocabulary Development: Films enable exposure to varied vocabulary, including polysemous words, metalinguistic and metacognitive verbs (e.g., “decide,” “exclaim”), and topic-specific terms.
3. Syntax and Grammar: Children can practice forming complex sentences using film scenarios.
4. Pragmatics and Social Cognition: Films often involve relatable social interactions, helping children develop perspective-taking, emotional understanding, and conversational skills.
5. Writing Skills: The narratives from films can serve as prompts for written story summaries, creating character profiles, and constructing written essays.

Creating a Contextualized Therapy Session

Practitioners can follow these steps to integrate oral and written language goals using CGI films:

1. Goal Selection:
   • Identify specific needs based on assessment results. For example, a child may need to improve sentence complexity, perspective-taking, or story coherence.
   • Align therapy goals with academic language skills, such as discourse structures, inferential thinking, and cohesive ties (Kelley & Spencer, 2021).
2. Film Selection:
   • Choose films with clear, age-appropriate narratives. Examples include Hair Love or Windup. These films provide emotional depth, relatable characters, and engaging plots.
3. Activity Design:
   • Pre-Viewing: Introduce key vocabulary and discuss the story theme. For example, explain words like “regretful” or “responsibilities” for Made with Love.
   • During Viewing: Pause the film at pivotal moments to ask questions:
     • “Why do you think this character is so distraught by what has happened?” (Inferencing)
     • “What is this character thinking? Why?” (Perspective-taking)
   • Post-Viewing: Guide children through narrative retelling. Use story grammar visuals to support organization and coherence (e.g., Story Grammar Picture Cards).
4. Scaffolded Writing Activities:
   • Start with story grammar graphic organizer to outline the film’s events in writing.
   • Progress to sentence construction, emphasizing complex structures using conjunctions and elaborated noun phrases.
   • Conclude with paragraph writing that reflects the narrative.
5. Encouraging Generalization:
   • Relate film narratives to the child’s real-life experiences or academic tasks.
   • Reinforce vocabulary and syntax skills across sessions by revisiting elements of the film in new contexts.

Evidence-Based Results

Narrative interventions using CLI have shown substantial positive effects on oral and written language skills, especially for children with DLD. For instance:

• Students improve in both macrostructure (e.g., story grammar) and microstructure (e.g., vocabulary use, sentence complexity) (Petersen, 2011; Spencer & Slocum, 2010).
• Children generalize skills to reading comprehension and written expression, bridging oral and written language gaps (Gillam & Gillam, 2016).

Final Thoughts

By integrating CGI films into therapy, SLPs and parents can create engaging, evidence-based sessions that support both oral and written language development. These films provide a naturalistic and meaningful context, making therapy not only effective but also enjoyable for children. With thoughtful planning and consistent implementation, this approach can significantly enhance language and literacy outcomes.

References

1. Elleseff, T (2022). Contextualized Interventions in Speech Language Pathology: EBP Focus on Narratives and Animated Films. Webinar for the Westchester Speech Hearing & Language Association, New Rochelle, NY.  
2. Gillam, S. L., Gillam, R. B., & Reece, K. (2012). Language outcomes of contextualized and decontextualized language intervention: Results of an early efficacy study. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 43, 276–291.
3. Gillam, S. L., & Gillam, R. B. (2016). Narrative discourse intervention for school-aged children with language impairment: Supporting Knowledge in Language and Literacy. Topics in Language Disorders, 36(1), 20–34.
4. Kamhi, A. G. (2014). Improving clinical practices for children with language and learning disorders. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 45(2), 92–103.
5. Kelley E, Spencer T. (2021) Feasible And Effective Language Intervention Strategies That Accelerate Students’ Academic Achievement. Seminars In Speech And Language, 42(2):101-116.
6. Petersen, D. B. (2011). A Systematic Review of Narrative-Based Language Intervention With Children Who Have Language Impairment. Communication Disorders Quarterly, 32(4), 207-220.
7. Spencer, T. D., & Slocum, T. A. (2010). The effect of a narrative intervention on story retelling and personal story generation skills of preschoolers with risk factors and narrative language delays. Journal of Early Intervention, 32(3), 178–199.
8. Stein, N., & Glenn, C. (1979). An analysis of story comprehension in elementary school children. In R. Freedle (Ed.), New directions in discourse processing. Ablex Inc.