About this episode

This episode discusses the importance of presuming competence in young autistic children and the impact of communication tools in preschool education.

My non-speaking three-year-old student told me "This is boring" on his AAC device. That moment changed everything for me, because that is communication, and that is competence. It's exactly what today's episode is about: presuming competence, an idea that quietly shapes everything else we do with young autistic children. Because so often, the ability was there all along. What was missing wasn't the child's capacity. It was the tools, and an adult willing to believe there was something worth saying. This conversation explores what presuming competence actually means, why it matters so much in the preschool years, the prerequisite myths that hold kids back, and the practical shifts that help us act like the capable child is already there. We'll talk about: ● what presuming competence really means ● why the preschool years set a child's trajectory ● the "prerequisite trap" and why there are no readiness skills for communication ● why speech is not the same as intelligence ● what presuming competence looks like in a real classroom ● why communication should never have to be earned Because we don't know what a child knows until they have the tools to tell us. In This Episode, You'll…

People in this episode

Host: Tara Phillips

Topics covered

• presuming competence
• communication
• autism
• preschool education
• child development
• myths in education

Keywords

• autistic children
• AAC device
• communication skills
• preschool classroom
• intelligence
• readiness skills
• self-fulfilling prophecy

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• #181: Every Non-Speaking Child Should Have Access To Robust AAC with AAC User, Jordyn Zimmerman · June 30, 2026 · 1h 5m
• #180 Preschool Autism Summit: How it came to be & the movement we're building together · June 23, 2026 · 32 min
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