Special education for individuals with severe mental disorders: definitions, discourses and contexts at the interface of pedagogy and psychiatry

Pol Merkur Lekarski. 2026;54(2):224-228. doi: 10.36740/Merkur202602118.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: Aim: The aim of this paper is to define and discuss a new and emerging sub-discipline of special education, namely special education for individuals with mental disorders.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: Materials and Methods: This paper is based on a narrative review and theoretical analysis of selected Polish and international literature from the fields of special education, psychiatry, and social sciences. The analysis included monographs and peer-reviewed articles addressing adult education, intellectual disability, autism spectrum disorders, and mental disorders, with particular emphasis on schizophrenia and affective disorders. A critical and comparative analysis of theoretical concepts and paradigmatic changes, especially the development of community-based models of care, was conducted. Mental disorders constitute an important cause of disability in adulthood and create a new area of interest for special education. The development of community psychiatry and community mental health centers opens opportunities for special educators to work with adults with mental disorders as community therapists, social skills trainers, or recovery assistants. However, the establishment of this professional role requires legal regulations and interdisciplinary cooperation.

CONCLUSION: Conclusions: Special education pedagogy for people with mental disorders constitutes a new and essential subdiscipline of special education. The expansion of community psychiatry creates structural opportunities for the development of professional roles within this field. Whether community therapists evolve into formally recognized special educators for persons with mental disorders will depend on future legislative solutions, the engagement of universities in developing specialized training programs, and close cooperation between educators and psychiatrists.

PMID:42048514 | DOI:10.36740/Merkur202602118