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.

“We don’t want to strike,” said Charmell Lee, a special education assistant and a member of Local 99.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 9, 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

San Diego on Friday averted a one-day teachers strike planned later this month over union demands for more special education staffing.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 13, 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

A former navy officer was working on his B.S. degree in special education when he saw Luke’s listing on Florida’s adoption website.

From "Three Little Words: A Memoir" by Ashley Rhodes-Courter

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