School-age children and adolescents with language-learning disorders are at risk for a variety of pragmatic deficits, including the ability to persuade others effectively. This article includes a review of the developmental literature in spoken persuasion and discusses some possible implications of the literature for assessment and intervention with students who may have difficulty with spoken persuasion. The author's approach reflects the philosophy that clinical activities for school-age children and adolescents should be derived from an analysis of data-based studies of normal development. Efficacy studies should then be conducted to validate those activities.