The Autism Society Event and Education Recordings Archive

Does your perception of your child's potential affect your dreams for him or her? Strategies are presented to assist parents in helping their child to reach their fullest potential using the Least Dangerous Assumption. Each family brings its own unique challenges, fears, skills and beliefs to raising children.  Family involvement is critical to the growth and development of a child with ASD and their ultimate quality of life.  However, sometimes parents do not feel they have the skills and ability to do this, possibly in part because evidence of their child’s learning and capability may not be obvious.  Parents who approach parenting with positive concepts such as the least dangerous assumption and presumed competence can engage in support for their child with a vision of their ability, skills and potential.  That vision, combined with goal setting, positive supports and consistency across environments can assist in the child’s progress toward a full and successful life.

Parents of children with ASD assume many roles: spouse, parent of all our children, teacher, interpreter, behavior analyst, educator of others, and advocate. Parents may to try to do everything for their child(ren), and this constant work can become part of their identity.  We want to ease our child's struggles, reduce home stress, and create a safe haven with few or no demands.  While the intent may be nurturing, this sometimes results in dependency that restricts a child from reaching his or her potential.  By presuming competence, or believing they can, parents are no longer held back by fears of inadequacy or inability.  Rather, they embrace positive beliefs based on strengths.  This provides opportunities for their child to improve skills and achieve greater independence.

A simple definition of presumed competence is to assume your child is aware and able to understand even though they may not be able to show you in a way we expect.  It believes “they can:" not giving up, asking others to believe and bridging the gap between our fears and their abilities.  It is also about presuming that, as parents, we are capable and able to teach our children in ways that support their growth and independence.   Respected researcher, Dr. Anne Donnellan, introduced the concept of Least Dangerous Assumption, which states that, in the absence of contrary evidence, we need to make decisions that have the least dangerous and limiting effect on opportunities for the person to learn and have a full life as an adult. Embracing the least dangerous assumption is a powerful guide for parents to keep the vision in sight: meaningful employment, full community involvement and living a high quality of life. Exploring our own beliefs, fears and actions provides opportunity to be open to the possibilities of our child’s prospective life full of joy and success and our ability to help make that happen.

In this session we will help parents understand least dangerous assumption and presumed competence.  We will help them explore their belief systems and offer tools and strategies to identify their child's talents and strengths and their own ability to impact their child’s progress toward a meaningful life.  Video examples will be presented showing change from the “they can't” to an “I can, if you believe in me.”

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