More Than Words: Helping Parents Promote Communication and Social Skills in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

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Santopolo's writing is captivating. Regardless of the story, her writing always keeps me invested. She just has a way of making her stories accessible yet gripping.

Jill Santopolo sure knows how to tug at the heartstrings, much as she did in her last book, The Light We Lost. This is a well-written book with some serious steam, and it’s pretty compelling. It’s also poignant and emotional and a little predictable, too. Definitely had me hooked though!! When I read Jill Santopolo's The Light We Lost last year, I was blown away, the love story and the context of the relationship felt so real to me and the book made my top 10 of 2017 list. The insta-love. Oh how instant it was. Nina literally breaks up with her fiancé and falls face first into her boss 4 hours later. WTF?! I’m writing a novel. You’re writing a novel. We’re all writing or reading novels. But how long is too long? How short is too short? If you’re obsessing over how many words your novel should be, it’s a good idea to consult the word counts of popular novels as a frame of reference. In this post, you’ll find the word counts of 175 (well, it’s actually 177, but 175 sounds cleaner!) classic, bestselling, award-winning novels, from books you’d recognize from high school English to recent hits. Along the way, I’ll analyze the word counts and note a few interesting trends. It’s my hope this list can be a resource for other writers like me who wonder how long a novel should be. I hope to follow it up with a children’s literature specific list. Nina had taken a job as a speech writer for Rafael, a handsome, young up and coming politician running for Mayor of NYC. She finds herself drawn to his magnetism and kindness, but is torn by her loyalty to Tim.Don’t worry, it’s not that book by a megalomanical Austrian, but in fact a series of six autobiographical books published between 2009 and 2011 by the Norwegian author Karl Ove Knausgård. They gained huge fame and notoriety due to the unflinching honesty and detail that Knausgård went into regarding his friends, family and the “banalities and humiliations of his life”; so much so that his wife suffered a nervous breakdown. To date it has sold over half a million copies in Norway alone - one for every nine people in the country. This program is grounded in extensive research that shows what helps young autistic children learn best. For more information on the research behind More Than Words, see our Research Summary. Ongoing support Barry M. Prizant, Ph.D., CCC-SLP. Director, Childhood Communication Services, Cranston, RI. Adjunct Professor, Brown University Center for the Study of Human Development”

I had a difficult time drumming up the slightest bit of sympathy for this novel's main character, Nina Gregory. Must be terrible having two men in love with you. My heart bleeds. As your child's communication progresses and new goals are set, you can keep returning to More Than Words for examples of how to use each strategy at your child's new stage. Nina's actions made little to no sense to me. One minute she wants nothing to do with the corporation and the next minute she's some kind of corporate wiz who exactly how to fix everything. One minute she needs time to figure herself out and 4 hours later she's in love. She was all over the place. Rafael is a charismatic and handsome character, unlike anyone in Nina's life. Hers is a life of privilege, which she does not take lightly. She is dating her best friend Tim but begins to chafe at the life planned out for her. Children aged 5 and under who are on the Autism Spectrum often have social communication difficulties can find it difficult to interact meaningfully with others. The "More than Words®" programme was developed for parents to help their children reach full potential by empowering the adult with knowledge and strategies to improve social communication, play and imitation skills.I loved the character of Nina and enjoyed watching her growth and development as I progressed in the book. She was smart, but cautious and I truly felt for her in all of her struggles. I can honestly say Santopolo is now officially a must read author for me (okay, she already was after Light) but I'm thrilled to share that her sophomore effort was just as much of a hit for me.