“Diagnosing” the Need or in “Need” of a Diagnosis? Reconceptualizing Educational Need

摘要

This chapter is based on compulsory school experiences of students diagnosed with AttentionDeficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and their parents in the educational context ofFinland. Located in the theoretical framework of Disability Studies, the chapter aims tocontribute to theory of inclusive education by initiating a new dialogue on conceptualfoundations of inclusive schooling. In this regard, the chapter first deconstructs the concept ofeducational need that stems from the field of traditional special education as contradictory tothe original ideals of inclusive education. It then moves on to reconstruct the concept ofeducational need in accordance with the foundational values of inclusion, that is celebrationof human diversity and resistance to dichotomies of ab-/normality and dis-/ability andproposes an approach for future implementation of inclusive education.