As you may know, at this point, Zip must be in control of his surroundings. He works very hard to maintain that control. We’re working on it and it has gotten better through RDI. But…  he has a bad habit of grabbing things out of my hand when he wants them. So I’ve been telling him that he must ask instead of just taking something. Now you might remember that Zip does not speak in sentences. So, what sentence has he mastered recently?

He had 20+ balls gathered behind him on the rug today. I had one ball in my hand. He asked me, “Can I have it?”

“No,” I said. “I’m playing with it.”

“Can I have it? Can I have it?” Zip keep trying the magic words that had always worked until now.

“When I’m done playing with it, you can have it” I said, deflecting his grabbing hands.

Zip thought about this for a few moments and then shouted something new – “Mine!”

This from a kid who doesn’t understand pronouns! I gave in, of course.