special needs

[spesh-uhl needz]

plural noun

Sometimes Offensive.

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

special needs

plural noun

1. 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

Sensitive Note

See special.

Other Word Forms

• special-needs adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of special needs¹

First recorded in 1895–1900

Example Sentences

Some, like Debbie Principe, whose two adopted children have special needs, have spent decades trying to secure citizenship for their dependents.

Read more on BBC

Insurers are piling into Special Needs Plans, which serve chronically ill, frail or dual-eligible patients who qualify for both Medicare and Medicaid benefits.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

In a Fox News interview in March, McMahon said, “IDEA funding for our children with disabilities and special needs was in place before there was a Department of Education and it managed to work incredibly well.”

Read more on Salon

A man allegedly stabbed three staff members at a Torrance school for children with special needs Monday and threatened that he had a pipe bomb before he was taken into police custody, according to news reports.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Today, only three children with special needs still live on the property.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal