Fruitcake

          When it comes to Rylee, I am beyond guilty of so many typical societal flaws.  In her younger years, one of those flaws was not presuming her competence.  Learning about this concept laid the foundation for life changing events.  I know I’ve mentioned it many times on social media and this blog.  However, I feel it is vital for caregivers and educators alike to understand.

          One major obstacle I am seeing amidst our families supporting loved ones with complex needs, especially in school districts, is an overwhelming feeling of not knowing where to start.  Trust me, I get it!  I get it as much as anyone because I was there once.  I’ve lived it and persevered through it!  Throughout our community, I hear comments such as “I wish my kid could do that,”  “My child isn’t that high functioning,” “That mom is CRAZY!”  You know what?  I get it.  You know what else?  I’ll be that crazy mom any day over the type of mom I was before!  I’m not saying to do things just as I did (that’s crazy).  I’m saying there are certain principles to follow that will lead you down a path you never knew existed and one day your kids will thank you for it.

          I have an analogy for you.  I had an epiphany while watching Ratatouille with Rylee a while back.  There is a segment I’m including here that I want you to watch as it refers to what I’m talking about.  The backstory (in case you’ve never seen it) to this scene is Linguini accidentally messed up some soup of this fancy restaurant.  Remy, the rat, witnessed this debacle and quickly fixed the soup which customers loved.  He was discovered and Linguini was asked to ‘dispose’ of him because he was a rat. 

          In this scene, Remy is trapped in a glass jar because he was found in a restaurant kitchen.  Linguini begins talking to himself and Remy.  He discovers Remy can understand him based on his body language and therefore saves his life.  What would have happened if Remy had a complex body and could not respond to Linguini through gestures?  Would harm have come to Remy if he would not have been able to make it known to Linguini that he, in fact, could understand him?  That is why we need to presume competence!  Look at what Remy could create when given the chance!

Watch Remy and Linguini's scene here!

          Now, ask yourself what happens when we rely solely on what our students with significant disabilities demonstrate to us?  What happens when we base their educational opportunities primarily on what they can prove?  What happens to educational opportunities when we lean exclusively on data collection for IEP purposes?  Data-driven decisions are not always the only, or best, course of action for those with developmental disabilities.  If we do this, their education and life experiences likely become very limited.  What if our assumptions are wrong?  Are we doing harm by limiting these experiences?  These are self-reflecting questions I had to ask myself once I made that frightening decision to home-school and become responsible for Rylee’s education.  Unfortunately, I asked these questions later in the game than I should have and damage had already been done based on the lack of presuming her competence. 

Instead, let’s look into portfolio assessments.  Let’s rely on presuming competence and seeing where it takes us.  Let’s not create robots.  We can write IEP goals in more efficient ways.  We can create authentic and meaningful learning environments that support a wide range of learners! 

Providing the least dangerous assumption was a game changer for us.  The tables began to turn when I reflected upon what I needed to do to make things better for my daughter and I had the research to support my goals.  I had to make a conscious decision not to be like Linguini and demand results before I believed. 

In the words of Jimmy Buffet…”There’s a little bit of fruitcake left in every one of us!”