The belief that individuals can and want to learn, despite what their body looks like, is the fundamental idea behind presuming competence. Apraxic individuals, as in those who are non-speaking or minimally speaking, cannot control their bodies even though their minds may be fully intact. This presents as: walking/running away from a speaker, falling to the ground and not getting up, stimming, repeating scripts, or looking away. The individual may appear uninterested or inattentive.
Presuming competence is a shift of perspective that the person is listening and understanding what you are saying, but they cannot get their body to to respond correctly. This can lead to the inability to accurately respond to questions either verbally, by gesturing (pointing), or picking up the correct object or icon, for example. Inconsistent motor output is the main difficulty in those with apraxia — they may be able to perform a motor skill one day but not the next. Therefore, supporting the individuals’ sensory needs and providing motor intervention to target their motor planning skills (praxis) is the focus of treatment.
What does presuming competence look like?
Talking to them like anyone else their age
Providing opportunities for learning at their age-level without the requirement of showing us pre-requisite knowledge.
Accommodating their learning style and sensory needs.
Treating them with respect.
Talking with them and to them when others are present instead of talking about them.