Special needs

In clinical diagnostic and functional development, special needs (or additional needs) refers to individuals who require assistance for disabilities that may be medical, mental, or psychological. Guidelines for clinical diagnosis are given in both the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders and the International Classification of Diseases 9th edition. Special needs can range from people with autism, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, dyslexia, dyscalculia, dyspraxia, dysgraphia, blindness, deafness, ADHD, and cystic fibrosis. They can also include cleft lips and missing limbs. The types of special needs vary in severity, and a student with a special need is classified as being a severe case when the student's IQ is between 20 and 35.^[1] These students typically need assistance in school, and have different services provided for them to succeed in a different setting.^[2]^[3]

In the United Kingdom, special needs usually refers to special needs within an educational context. This is also referred to as special educational needs (SEN) or special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), and in Wales is referred to as additional learning needs (ALN, Welsh: Anghenion Dysgu Ychwanegol, ADY) since 2021.^[4] In the United States, 19.4 percent of all children under the age of 18 (14,233,174 children) had special health care needs as of 2018.^[5]^[6]^[7]^[8]

The term is seen as a dysphemism by many disability rights advocates and is deprecated by a number of style guides (e.g. APA style).^[9]

^ "Severe/Profound General Learning Disability | CPD and In-School Support". National Council for Special Education. Trim, County Meath, Eire.
^ Flook, Lisa (23 April 2019). "Four Ways Schools Can Support the Whole Child". Greater Good. University of California, Berkeley. Archived from the original on 26 April 2019. Retrieved 6 July 2022.
^ Calderwood, Bethany (11 January 2022). "Severe Disabilities: Definition & Examples". study.com.
^ Price, Emily (2024-10-17). "Alarm over 44% fall in additional learning needs numbers". Nation.Cymru. Retrieved 2025-01-16.
^ McPherson, Merle; Arango, Polly (1998). "A new definition of children with special health care needs". Pediatrics. 102 (1). Fox H, Lauver C, McManus M, Newacheck PW, Perrin JM, Shonkoff JP, Strickland B. Elk Grove Village Il: American Academy of Pediatrics: 137–140. doi:10.1542/peds.102.1.137. ISSN 0031-4005. LCCN 51002540. PMID 9714637. S2CID 30160426.
^ "National Survey of Children's Health, 2019-2020". Data Resource Center for Child and Adolescent Health. United States: Child and Adolescent Health Measurement Initiative. Retrieved 29 June 2022.
^ "State at a glance coverage and financing charts". Center for Innovation in Social Work & Health. Catalyst Center. Boston University: National Center for Health Insurance and Financing for Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs (CYSHCN). Retrieved 29 June 2022.
^ Tu, HT; Cunningham, PJ (2005). "Public coverage provides vital safety net for children with special health care needs" (PDF). Issue Brief (98). Center for Studying Health System Change: 1–7. PMID 17290559. Archived from the original on January 22, 2022. The Center for Studying Health System Change Ceased operation on Dec. 31, 2013.
^ Gernsbacher, Morton Ann; Raimond, Adam R.; Balinghasay, M. Theresa; Boston, Jilana S. (19 December 2016). "'Special needs' is an ineffective euphemism". Cognitive Research: Principles and Implications. 1 (1): 29. doi:10.1186/s41235-016-0025-4. ISSN 2365-7464. PMC 5256467. PMID 28133625.

[1] "Severe/Profound General Learning Disability | CPD and In-School Support". National Council for Special Education. Trim, County Meath, Eire.

[2] Flook, Lisa (23 April 2019). "Four Ways Schools Can Support the Whole Child". Greater Good. University of California, Berkeley. Archived from the original on 26 April 2019. Retrieved 6 July 2022.

[3] Calderwood, Bethany (11 January 2022). "Severe Disabilities: Definition & Examples". study.com.

[4] Price, Emily (2024-10-17). "Alarm over 44% fall in additional learning needs numbers". Nation.Cymru. Retrieved 2025-01-16.

[5] McPherson, Merle; Arango, Polly (1998). "A new definition of children with special health care needs". Pediatrics. 102 (1). Fox H, Lauver C, McManus M, Newacheck PW, Perrin JM, Shonkoff JP, Strickland B. Elk Grove Village Il: American Academy of Pediatrics: 137–140. doi:10.1542/peds.102.1.137. ISSN 0031-4005. LCCN 51002540. PMID 9714637. S2CID 30160426.

[6] "National Survey of Children's Health, 2019-2020". Data Resource Center for Child and Adolescent Health. United States: Child and Adolescent Health Measurement Initiative. Retrieved 29 June 2022.

[7] "State at a glance coverage and financing charts". Center for Innovation in Social Work & Health. Catalyst Center. Boston University: National Center for Health Insurance and Financing for Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs (CYSHCN). Retrieved 29 June 2022.

[8] Tu, HT; Cunningham, PJ (2005). "Public coverage provides vital safety net for children with special health care needs" (PDF). Issue Brief (98). Center for Studying Health System Change: 1–7. PMID 17290559. Archived from the original on January 22, 2022. The Center for Studying Health System Change Ceased operation on Dec. 31, 2013.

[9] Gernsbacher, Morton Ann; Raimond, Adam R.; Balinghasay, M. Theresa; Boston, Jilana S. (19 December 2016). "'Special needs' is an ineffective euphemism". Cognitive Research: Principles and Implications. 1 (1): 29. doi:10.1186/s41235-016-0025-4. ISSN 2365-7464. PMC 5256467. PMID 28133625.

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