The Importance of Positive Diagnosis in Work with Disabled People – Theoretical Reflection from a Psychopedagogical Perspective

• Main Author: Ewa Wysocka
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Wydawnictwo LIBRON 2019-12-01
• Series: Konteksty Pedagogiczne
• Subjects: salutogenesis; positive diagnosis; disability; diagnosis models; helping models
• Online Access: https://kontekstypedagogiczne.pl/kp/article/view/211

In the article, the author presents the basic assumptions of positive diagnosis that can be used in work with the disabled. It assumes that one of the most important factors determining the effectiveness of the development support process is a correctly implemented diagnostic process, immanently linked to helping disabled people integrate into the social world and overcome developmental problems resulting from their disability. In the positive approach to diagnosis proposed by the author, various categories of the diagnostic description of a person and their environment are important, such as multidimensionality (various spheres of functioning), continuity (development process in the full life cycle), orientation of individual development (prosocial, pro-development vs. developmentally destructive), and, above all, the need to discover one’s resources (potentials). The author also presents the process and models of supporting the development of people with disabilities. This approach locates the processes of diagnosis and help in the basic paradigm of positive psychology (salutogenesis), focusing on the self-creation and social integration of individuals with disability, while at the same time, stressing the need to identify the potential of the individual (positive diagnosis).