Babies and toddlers are learning words, concepts and ideas at an alarming rate in early childhood. (Even kiddos with speech and language and other delays are learning quickly!) 

“Presume competence” is a phrase that comes up a lot in the special education field. It basically means: assume that the person in front of you knows more and can do more than is apparent on the outside. 

Here at SpeechKids, this applies especially to children – Orchid Kids, Dandelion Kids and anyone in between: they know and understand more than we might be able to see. So we treat them as such.

Presuming competence is a beautiful thing because it means that we can proceed “as if”. We can give kids the courtesy of telling them what’s next in their day, of preparing them for new events, people and places, of giving them a little bit of extra time to show us what they know. 

This month, we’re spotlighting some ways in which you can presume competence on the part of your children, and help them participate in the life of your family. We hope you enjoy. 

xo The SpeechKids Team