Toward Ending Cultural and Cognitive Relativism in Special Education

Postmodernism, by whatever label, is intellectually bankrupt. It cannot be reconciled with a scientific view. If taken seriously, it leads to catastrophic consequences for any field of study, including special education. It also leads to malpractice in special education. Whole language instruction, radical multicultural education, and facilitated communication are areas in which it has led to serious compromise of clear thinking and best practice. We urge special educators to resoundingly reject postmodern ideas, as they are poisonous and can lead only to regression.