“Diagnosing” the Need or in “Need” of a Diagnosis? Reconceptualizing Educational Need
Honkasilta, J. (2017). “Diagnosing” the Need or in “Need” of a Diagnosis? Reconceptualizing Educational Need. In K. Scorgie, & D. Sobsey (Eds.), Working with Families for Inclusive Education : Navigating Identity, Opportunity and Belonging (pp. 123-141). International Perspectives on Inclusive Education, 10. Bingley: Emerald Publishing Limited. doi:10.1108/S1479-363620170000010014
Published in
International Perspectives on Inclusive Education;10Date
2017Discipline
ErityispedagogiikkaCopyright
© Honkasilta & Emerald Publishing Limited, 2017. This is a final draft version of an article whose final and definitive form has been published by Emerald. Published in this repository with the kind permission of the publisher.
This chapter is based on compulsory school experiences of students diagnosed with Attention
Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and their parents in the educational context of
Finland. Located in the theoretical framework of Disability Studies, the chapter aims to
contribute to theory of inclusive education by initiating a new dialogue on conceptual
foundations of inclusive schooling. In this regard, the chapter first deconstructs the concept of
educational need that stems from the field of traditional special education as contradictory to
the original ideals of inclusive education. It then moves on to reconstruct the concept of
educational need in accordance with the foundational values of inclusion, that is celebration
of human diversity and resistance to dichotomies of ab-/normality and dis-/ability and
proposes an approach for future implementation of inclusive education.