Synonyms

special education

American

[spesh-uhl ej-oo-key-shuhn] / ˈspɛʃ əl ˌɛdʒ ʊˈkeɪ ʃən /

noun

specialized or modified instruction for students with unique learning needs, especially students with identified disabilities. SPED

Sensitive Note

See special.

Etymology

Origin of special education

First recorded in 1920–25

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.

This union represents special education aides who are, she said, undervalued, underpaid and overworked.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 13, 2026

Lynch, a former non-league football manager and founder of special education school NexGen Academy, was said to have suffered serious injuries to his eye.

From BBC • Apr. 7, 2026

Mosley suggested that instead of working to make a Kirk holiday, Kansas lawmakers could fully fund special education programs in the state, or address rural hospital closures or raise the minimum wage.

From Salon • Feb. 16, 2026

He was adopted at birth “by a Kansas-born musician-producer and ... a special education teacher who immigrated to the US from Cuba as a child in the 1960s.”

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 25, 2026

Among the six, Mariela is in a category all her own: special education.

From "Drama High" by Michael Sokolove

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