For many years in remedial settings it has been the practice to use a medical model, also referred to as a diagnostic or prescriptive model, to describe reading and other language behaviors. In this article, the failure of the traditional medical model in reading diagnosis is discussed in detail. As an alternative to the medical model, I present a conceptualization of reading diagnosis consistent with a holistic I wellness model and compare this holistic I wellness model with the traditional medical model. A four‐step diagnostic process derived from the holistic/wellness model is presented to guide the development of alternative approaches to assessment. Variables to be assessed and tools for diagnosis consistent with a holistic /wellness model are discussed.