Quarter Turn Monday #3
Presume Competence: We Believed They Could and They Did
Last week, we focused on Prioritizing Connection. This week, we’re learning from the disability community, where Presuming Competence has always been at the center of belonging.
The Story
Many of us grew up without disabled peers in our classrooms and learned, implicitly or explicitly, to expect less from them. If we ever asked why they weren’t with us, we might have been told they were “better off” or “happier” in separate classrooms. Without opportunities to learn and form friendships together, we may have started to doubt what disabled people could understand, do, or communicate.
We grew up in a world that could have been better for everyone if we’d known what it means to presume competence.
We Believe People Mean Well
In our hearts, we really do believe that, as Maya Angelou says, “When we know better, we do better.” We don’t think most decisions to separate children with disabilities from their peers, or the messages that suggest they’re better off apart or away, come from a place of harm.
But, even when the intention is to help, the impact is harmful. Separating children with disabilities lowers expectations and limits belonging. We’ve learned this from disabled people themselves, and here are two opportunities to listen, learn, and reflect more:
Jordyn Zimmerman on the Think Inclusive Podcast, discussing presuming competence, communication access, and what true inclusion means
The Quarter Turn: Believe in Believe
Knowing better gives us the chance to do better. We can all channel our inner Ted Lasso and BELIEVE in the potential of children with disabilities to express who they are, learn, grow, and connect. We can do this by presuming competence.
What is Presuming Competence?
To presume competence is to believe that every child is capable of learning, communicating, connecting, and participating. Presuming competence is especially important when children show us things in ways that are different from what we’re used to or might expect.
When we presume competence, we:
Start with the belief that every child is capable and belongs in the same spaces they would if they didn’t have a disability
Plan and provide experiences with the understanding that every child is noticing, learning, and ready to be part of the group
Teach and interact in ways that are flexible, accessible, and reflect every child’s ways of learning and communicating
How do we make the quarter-turn?
Presuming competence is mindset first, practice second. So today’s quarter turn ideas are questions you might ask yourself and your team.
What do I think I know? Before planning or making any changes, pause. Think about the messages you’ve internalized about children with disabilities and their potential. Where did those ideas come from? What if they’re wrong? What would it look like to presume the competence of every child … to believe they can understand, learn, and grow?
For example, if we find ourselves thinking that a child can’t or won’t participate in a small group activity with their peers, we can pause and question why. What if we think they can’t, but they actually could have? When that happens, we end up limiting them and they miss opportunities to be included in meaningful ways.
What if they can? They probably can. So how can they? Instead of assuming a child can’t, we ask ourselves, “What if they can?” Or, better yet, we ask ourselves, “How can they?” and plan what we do around the answer to that question.
Consider this example. Many practitioners have wondered, “Can this child make a choice about where to play during center time if they’re nonspeaking?” When we presume competence, we believe they can. So instead, we ask, “How will this child (as autonomously as possible) choose their center during the routine?”
The Part of the Turn That Really Matters
The important point here is that we often expect children with disabilities to prove what they know, what they intend, and what they can do way more than we do for nondisabled children. We also have beliefs about how things “should” be learned or done, which can limit our thinking about children’s abilities and potential.
Presuming competence isn’t about creating unrealistic expectations (kids can’t teleport … that we know of, at least). It’s also not meant to minimize children’s need for great teaching or high-quality early childhood experiences and supports.
Presuming competence doesn’t mean that we think kids already know everything. It means that we believe that children with disabilities can learn anything, or, at least most things (again, learning to teleport is unlikely), when we design for their belonging and enable them to learn, participate, and show what they know in ways that work for them (Reaching Every Voice, linked earlier, shared a post with a quote like this a while back, so they deserve credit).
We’re showing up and doing the best we can. We’re just not putting limits on children in the process.
A Personal Example (from Jackie)
One day, when Juniper was less than a year old, we had a conversation with her early intervention team. It seemed like Juni was intentionally doing and communicating things, but we didn’t know how to be sure that she was. Together, we decided to presume her competence.
We stopped wondering if a sound meant something, and when Juniper popped her lips, we’d say, “You’re right, it’s time to eat! Let’s get a snack, and then we can sit at the table.”
If an action seemed purposeful, we believed it was. When we offered June choices and she reached for one and brought it to her mouth, we still honored the choice she made (instead of questioning if it was just an attempt to explore the object with her mouth).
Over time, we noticed presuming competence wasn’t just about our responses. It was about changing our mindset and believing that Juniper’s sounds, glances, and movements were communication, connection, and possibility.
Worried About Getting It Wrong?
Let’s say you presume a child is trying to express an emotion and respond with something like, “Hmm, you look excited!” and they aren’t actually excited. That’s ok. It happens all the time with nondisabled children, too (young children can be tricky to understand, right?).
By presuming competence and adjusting once we know more about a child, we’re following the least dangerous assumption. It’s always safer to believe a child understands and is communicating than to assume they aren’t.
It’s also how we build belonging together.
The Simplest Main
We’ve been taught to wait for proof before believing what children with disabilities can do. But what if we make a quarter turn? When we presume competence, we start from belief (and possibility) instead of doubt.
Every child can.
It’s our responsibility, and honestly, our privilege to presume competence. Because how cool is it that we get to be the ones who notice potential first and who help everyone else believe in what’s possible?
Don’t Stop Believing,
Jackie & Sally