Superstitions and ideals of modern special psychology

The article presents an analysis of modern trends in the change of special psychology as scientific knowledge and practice-oriented branch of science in relation to its initial attitudes, given by cultural-historical psychology. The text is based on a comparison of modern representations about the ideals of studying children with developmental disabilities and psychological assistance to them, on the one hand, and the original position of special psychology, on the other. The analysis touches upon the main categories of research and practice of a psychologist who helps children with developmental disabilities: the subject, the methods used, the concept of mental development, understanding the dichotomy "normal – abnormal development", psychological practice. The authors express concern over the growing tendency to reduce the representation of normal and abnormal mental development of a child as a complex and multilevel process of qualitative transformation of functional organs (systems), that are of social origin, to their external manifestations (behavior) or physiological activity of the body (brain).