Oral narratives play an important part in the academic and social interactions of children during the school years. This article attempts to link assessment and intervention of oral narratives with current cultural and academic trends. Specifically, the article focuses on the changing demands from home to school use of narratives, the developmental changes expected in school-age children, differences between the narratives of children with and without language disorders, current assessment methods and the difficulties inherent in their use, and alternative assessment and intervention techniques that address some of the cultural and theoretical issues raised.