The importance of speech

We recently had our IEP meeting and pushed for Chance to have speech therapy. We realize that Chance is doing really well. We are very happy about this fact. But there are still some things to work on. Isn't life just a work in progress for all of us?

Take tonight for instance. Chance walked up to me and asked,"How much does it cost for dots?"
"Dots?" I repeated back to him to make sure I had understood.

I had not understood.

"No." Chance said and then repeated the word which sounded remarkably like dots again, but at the same time a little like dolls.

"Dolls?" I asked.

Chance was getting frustrated now.

"No!" Then he emphasized the mystery word by saying it slower. Unfortunately, this still did not help me know what he was saying.

I paused and looked at Chance. He looked back at me, with a flabbergasted look that told me he could not believe I had not understood.

"Can you use a different word?" I asked hopefully.

Chance let out a dramatic sigh and asked," How much is it for an dolt at Applebee's?"

Suddenly, the puzzle came together for me. Chance has received some gift certificates at school lately for a free meal at Applebee's because he keeps getting 100% on his spelling tests.

"Adult? How much does it cost for an adult at Applebee's?" I asked.

Chance shook his head like, "Duh, that is what I have asked you three times now."

I broke down the word adult for Chance and told him how it is spelled and pronounced.

"Adult?!" He asked raising his eyebrows.

"Yes, I said, "there is an "L" in there."

We went over how you pronunciate adult a few times and then moved on.

Later in the evening I asked Chance how you say adult again and he repeated it back perfectly to me.
Chance has the ability to hear and say things. He just needs some guidance on learning some of the sounds. That is why we pushed for speech therapy.