Inclusive education and Vygotsky: A commentary on the article “Positioning Vygotsky for Inclusive Education: A Psycho-Philosophical Context”

The proposed commentary opens a discussion with the author/authors of the article “Positioning Vygotsky for Inclusive Education: A Psycho-Philosophical Context”. On the one hand, it supports the authors' point of view on the importance of inclusive education, while on the other hand, it criticizes the opinion of the authors, who simplify the essence of inclusive education, reducing it only to ensuring cooperation and communication among students. To support their position, the authors draw on L.S. Vygotsky's propositions on the role of socialization in learning, simplifying and thereby distorting his point of view on the process of the child's mental development. The article presents L.S. Vygotsky's proposed understanding of the course of children's mental development, and then his requirements for diagnostics, which can “form the basis of an educational plan”. Support for the child during learning, scaffolding, is interpreted as assistance in the weak link of the functional system of the child's actions. In this connection, the possibility of applying a neuropsychological approach in inclusive education is discussed.

1. Ахутина, Т.В., Камардина, И.О., Пылаева, Н.М. Нейропсихолог в школе. М.: В. Секачев, 2012. 48 с.
   Akhutina, T. V., Kamardina, I. O., Pylaeva, N. M. Neiropsikholog v shkole. Moscow: V. Sekachev, 2012. 48 p.
2. Ахутина, Т.В., Пылаева, Н.М. Методология нейропсихологического сопровождения детей с неравномерностью развития психических функций // А.Р. Лурия и психология XXI века / Под ред. Т.В. Ахутиной, Ж.М. Глозман. М., 2003. С. 181–189.
   Akhutina, T. V., Pylaeva, N. M. Metodologiya neiropsikhologicheskogo soprovozhdeniya detei s neravnomernost’yu razvitiya psikhicheskikh funktsii. In: A. R. Luriya i psikhologiya XXI veka. Ed. by T. V. Akhutina, Zh. M. Glozman. Moscow, 2003, pp. 181–189.
3. Ахутина, Т.В., Пылаева, Н.М. Преодоление трудностей учения: нейропсихологический подход. М., 2015.
   Akhutina, T. V., Pylaeva, N. M. Preodolenie trudnostei ucheniya: neiropsikhologicheskii podkhod. Moscow, 2015.
4. Выготский, Л.С. Проблема развития и распада высших психических функций // Проблемы дефектологии. М., 1995. С. 404–418.
   Vygotskii, L. S. Problema razvitiya i raspada vysshikh psikhicheskikh funktsii. In: Problemy defektologii. Moscow, 1995, pp. 404–418.
5. Выготский, Л.С. Собрание сочинений: В 6 т. Т. 1. М., 1982.
   Vygotskii, L. S. Sobranie sochinenii: v 6 tomakh. Vol. 1. Moscow, 1982.
6. Выготский, Л.С. Собрание сочинений: В 6 т. Т. 3. М., 1983а.
   Vygotskii, L. S. Sobranie sochinenii: v 6 tomakh. Vol. 3. Moscow, 1983.
7. Выготский, Л.С. Собрание сочинений: В 6 т. Т. 4. М., 1984.
   Vygotskii, L. S. Sobranie sochinenii: v 6 tomakh. Vol. 4. Moscow, 1984.
8. Выготский, Л.С. Собрание сочинений: В 6 т. Т. 5. М., 1983б.
   Vygotskii, L. S. Sobranie sochinenii: v 6 tomakh. Vol. 5. Moscow, 1983.
9. Лурия, А.Р. Высшие корковые функции и их нарушения при локальных поражениях мозга. 2-е изд. М., 1969.
   Luria, A. R. Vysshie korkovye funktsii i ikh narusheniya pri lokal’nykh porazheniyakh mozga. 2nd ed. Moscow, 1969.
10. Лурия, А.Р. Основы нейропсихологии. М., 1973.
    Luria, A. R. Osnovy neiropsikhologii. Moscow, 1973.
11. Akhutina, T.V., Pylaeva, N.M. Overcoming learning disabilities: A Vygotskian-Lurian Neuropsychological Approach. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2012. 305 p.
12. Bekker, T., Bekker, S. The neuropsychology of trauma-exposed children: implications for inclusive teaching and learning. International Journal of Inclusive Education. 2026 Jul 3; 30(8):2037–
13. Efthymiou, E., Katsarou, D.V., Sofologi, M., Argyriadis, A., Argyriadi, A., Megari, K. Neuropsychological Interventions in Inclusive Education: Strategies for Supporting Cognitive and Emotional Development in Diverse Learners. In Clinical applications of pediatric neuropsychology from infancy to adolescence. 2025 (pp. 411–448). IGI Global Scientific Publishing.
14. Quintanar, L., Solovieva, Yu. (2012). La formación de las funciones psicológicas en el desarrollo del niño. Trillas: México.
15. Schretlen, D.J., Munro, C.A., Anthony, J.C., Pearlson, G.D. Examining the range of normal intraindividual variability in neuropsychological test performance // Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society. Vol. 6. P. 864–870.
16. Solovieva, Yu., Quintanar, L. Educación neuropsicológica infantil. 2013. México, Trillas.
17. Solovieva, Y., Rojas, L.Q., Akhutina, T., Hazin, I. Historical-Cultural Neuropsychology: a systemic and integral approach of psychological functions and their cerebral bases. Estudos de psicología (Natal). 2019 Mar; 24(1):65–