Drawing upon the works of Paulo Freire and Lev S. Vygotsky, this paper argues that the institution of special education inculcates helplessness rather than autonomy, discusses the cognitive behavior modifications that enable self-control and self-mediation of learning, and proposes the educational ideal of student empowerment and autonomy. (JDD)

The question of whether special education students exhibit more learned helpless behavior and a more external locus of control than regular students is examined. The effects of these psychological conditions on school success are considered, and programs for alleviating learned helplessness and establishing a more internal locus of control are…