Least dangerous assumption

{{short description|Educational philosophy}}

{{Technical|date=November 2019}}

The least dangerous assumption is an inclusive approach to educational policy and pedagogy. It holds that, "in the absence of conclusive data, educational decisions should be based on assumptions which, if incorrect, will have the least dangerous effect on the student". This concept was coined in 1984 by Anne Donnellan, a researcher in special education.Donnellan, A. M. (1984). The Criterion of the Least Dangerous Assumption. Behavioral Disorders, 9(2), 141–150. p.142.Jorgensen, C. (2005). The least dangerous assumption. Disability Solutions, 6(3), 1–9. http://www.uwosh.edu/coehs/cmagproject/readings/documents/Least_Dangerous_Assumption.pdf The principle is most closely associated with the areas of intellectual disability and communication disorder, although it can be applied more generally in the domain of learning and teaching,Emerson, A. (2016). Applying the ‘least dangerous assumption’ in regard to behaviour policies and children with special needs. Pastoral Care in Education, 34(2), 104–109.Grayson, A. (2019). In assessment we need consistent values, not form filling. https://wonkhe.com/blogs/in-assessment-we-need-consistent-values-not-form-filling/ and beyond. In most contexts in which it is used, the principle holds that one should, in the absence of evidence to the contrary, presume competence, rather than non-competence, in others.{{Citation needed|date=November 2019}}

The "presumption of competence"Dotger, S. (2011). Exploring new territories: My trajectory toward becoming an inclusive science teacher educator. Reflective Practice, 12(3), 415–426. p.422. can be regarded as the "least dangerous" assumption to make about a person because, the principle holds, it is less damaging to presume competence in another, and to be wrong, than it is to presume non-competence (incompetence) in another, and to be wrong.Ballard, K. (1993). The least dangerous assumption: A response to Jordan & Powell. Disability, Handicap & Society, 8(1), 87–89. Take the example of a teacher who is uncertain about the extent to which a given student (with a severe communication impairment) understands what is said to them. The principle holds that it is less dangerous to assume that the student understands everything that is said, and to be wrong about that, than to assume that the student understands nothing that is said, and to be wrong in that direction.Emerson, A., & Dearden, J. (2013). The effect of using ‘full’ language when working with a child with autism: Adopting the ‘least dangerous assumption’. Child Language Teaching and Therapy, 29(2), 233–244. Under the latter assumption, the risk is that the teacher speaks too little to the student (or, in an extreme form of the argument, the teacher may not speak to the student at all). This is potentially 'dangerous' because it deprives the child of the known benefits of a language-rich environment.Entwisle, L. K., Brouwer, K., Hanson, E., & Messersmith, J. (2016). A Systematic Review of Emergent Literacy Interventions for Preschool-Age Children with Cochlear Implants. Contemporary Issues in Communication Science and Disorders; Rockville, 43, 64–76. Under the former assumption the risk is that the teacher will speak too much to the student, which, advocates of this approach maintain, is less dangerous.Doyle, M. B., & Giangreco, M. (2013). Guiding Principles for Including High School Students with Intellectual Disabilities in General Education Classes. American Secondary Education, 42(1), 57–72.

Debates on the practical use of presumed competence center around the subjective interpretation of the term "conclusive data." Particularly when it comes to making complex educational decisions about programs for individuals with disabilities.Travers, J., & Ayres, K. M. (2015). A Critique of Presuming Competence of Learners with Autism or Other Developmental Disabilities. Education and Training in Autism and Developmental Disabilities, 50(4), 371–387.