After our first child was diagnosed with autism, I started looking for resources that would help me understand my child’s diagnosis and what I could do.

I read dozens of books about autism, and “More Than Words by Fern Sussman is one of the most helpful. It is an easy to read and practical book that can help parents and caregivers understand what a child needs, and how to interact with a child to help them joyfully communicate and play in their day-to-day life.

Here are some features that parents like about this book:

• The first chapters help you understand the way your child communicates, and the skills that they are ready to learn next. In the following chapters suggestions are organized according to “level,” from “own agenda” to “partner stage” with examples helpful for each stage. This allows you to read the sections that are relevant for your child’s current abilities, so you aren’t bombarded by too much information at once.
• It’s easy to read and has great examples along with pictures to illustrate activities.
• It’s all about things you can do with your child, practical and hands on. Once you assess your child (maybe with the help of a therapist), the book gives you lists of strategies to help your child develop socially that are fun for both of you.

This book explains how to help your child communicate.

In the introduction, the author says:

“Your child will learn to communicate when he or she:

• pays attention to you
• finds enjoyment in two-way communication
• copies the things you do and say
• understands what others say
• interacts with other people
• has fun!
• practices what she learns often
• has structure, repetition and predictability in his or her life.”

Chapter 1: Understanding Your Child

The first chapter is about observing and understanding your child’s development.

Observing what your child likes and dislikes helps you understand how they perceive the world, and guides you to understand why they behave and communicate the way they do.

The chapter also teaches you how to assess your child’s communication and introduces the stages referred to throughout the book.  For example, an “Own Agenda” communicator does not send any messages directly to you, while a “Partner stage” child can enjoy short conversations.

Chapter 2: Setting Goals

Chapter 2 is about setting goals and basic strategies for being a communication partner.

The activities in this chapter are designed to move your child through their current stage and onto the next one, with plenty of examples.

Many of the activities involve exploring surprises or difficulties. For example, you can pour a small amount of juice into a cup and wait for your child to indicate that it isn’t full enough.

Chapter 3-4: Follow Your Child’s Lead and Take Turns Together

To draw your child into an interaction with you, and keep it going, you must:

1. understand what your child is interested in
2. join them
3. build on their ideas to stretch their thinking and ability to stay engaged

This section offers useful memory aids to help you remember what to do in the moment.

OWL stands for “observe, wait, listen” as you figure out how to join your child. 

The four I’s remind you what to do as you join in:

• include your child’s interests
• interpret as you assume everything your child does sends a message, and respond accordingly
• imitate actions and sounds
• intrude – insist on joining in, even if you aren’t welcome at first

This section, and the whole book, is full of examples of what you can do with any child, joining with them in exploring their unique interests. There are examples of things you can directly teach your child (like “Rules of Conversation” on page 113) and also ways to model communication with your child and draw them into interactions with you. The illustrations on every page make the instructions clear.

Chapter 5: Play People Games

During people games, adults and children use their facial expressions and actions to interact in playful ways, without toys. Chapter 5 is about people games, and provides lots of examples of how you might play with your child at each stage.

Chapters 6: Help Your Child Understand What You Say

This section is about receptive communication, which means helping your child understand what others do and say. General strategies and goals for each stage are listed, along with many illustrated examples. Examples of things parents should avoid are also listed, such as assuming your child understands when they really don’t.

Chapter 7: Use Visual Helpers

Kids with autism often understand visual communication best. A whole chapter of the book is devoted to making good use of pictures and visual symbols to increase vocabulary and understanding.

Chapters 8-12: Communication In New Activities

The book continues to share goals, strategies, and opportunities in daily family routines, listening to music, reading, and playing with toys. It concludes with a chapter about supporting communication with friends.

Conclusion

This is a long book with a lot of information! However, it isn’t overwhelming because of the reader-friendly language and friendly-looking illustrations.  Start by reading the first two chapters and trying out some strategies before reading the following chapters.  Focus on the sections that correspond to your child’s developmental level.  This is a good book to refer to every few weeks or months.

The book may be available at your local library or resource center for families of children with disabilities.

Alternatively, you can buy it online at Hanen.org. Hanen also offers a companion DVD. They occasionally offer discount codes on social media, which you can find on their webpage. Hanen also has published a book for supporting verbal children on the spectrum, called Talkability.

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Further Reading

• Giggle Games
• Talkability