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Special Education in Russia

Historical Aspects

Nikolai N. Malofeev is the director of the Institute of Special Education, formerly the Institute of the Curative Pedagogy, in Moscow, founded by L. S. Vygotsky in the early 1920s. The views expressed by the author have developed in the process of his work as a teacher, speech therapist, director of a special school, and scientific collaborator with the Institute of the Disabled, and from 3 years of work in the Institute of Special Education of the USSR and the Ministry of Education. The author' perspective has been influenced by many years of interaction with institutes of special education of all types in various regions of Russia and by correspondence with practicing service providers and investigators of special education. Address: c/o Joan C. Stoner, CASE Day School, PO Box 467, Elkhorn, NE 68022.

Tracing the history of special education services in Russia from its beginnings in the early nineteenth century through the rapid expansion of both private and government-supported programs and institutions until the restrictive Soviet period provides both understanding and appreciation of current Russian special education services and institutions. Theoretical principles guiding special education formulated by L. Vygotsky, and sources outside the USSR, were officially suppressed, as were testing and statistical data on handicapped individuals. Official mandates to bring students with handicaps up to state-approved standards resulted in the development of creative, effective approaches. The framework of special education changed little until the breakdown of the USSR. The new Russian Federation ratified UN resolutions protecting the rights of children. Categorical language is a recent development, and terms such as defective, retarded and pedologist are gradually being replaced. The final decade of this century is witnessing rapid change at the initiation of the Ministry of Education that is beginning to produce needed reform. One of the major initiatives is to provide LD specialists in all schools so that students will not need to be a great distance from home to receive needed services.

Journal of Learning Disabilities, Vol. 31, No. 2, 181-185 (1998)
DOI: 10.1177/002221949803100208


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