special needs

American

[spesh-uhl needz] / ˈspɛʃ əl ˈnidz /

plural noun

Sometimes Offensive.

the special educational requirements of those with learning difficulties, emotional or behavioral problems, or physical disabilities.

special needs British

plural noun

1. the educational requirements of pupils or students suffering from any of a wide range of physical disabilities, medical conditions, intellectual difficulties, or emotional problems, including deafness, blindness, dyslexia, learning difficulties, and behavioural problems
2. ( as modifier )
  
  special-needs teachers

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Sensitive Note

See special.

Other Word Forms

special-needs adjective

Etymology

Origin of special needs

First recorded in 1895–1900

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Before the war, the 35-year-old taught children with special needs and autism in Kungur, in the Ural Mountains.

From BBC

The couple has three adult children, one of whom has special needs.

From MarketWatch

Cindy Castillo, a social studies and ethnic studies teacher at Mission High School, told the crowd at a Monday rally there that stability, to her, meant fully accommodating students with special needs and retaining students and educators of color, and fully staffing security teams on campuses to prevent violence.

From Los Angeles Times

"Existing methods of supporting children and young people with special needs should be evaluated with a view to disseminating good practice and reducing the current over-reliance on classroom assistants," it said.

From BBC

It’s a reminder that not everything special needs to be complicated.

From Salon

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023