special needs

plural noun

: any of various difficulties (such as a physical, emotional, behavioral, or learning disability or impairment) that causes an individual to require additional or specialized services or accommodations (such as in education or recreation)

students with special needs

special-needs

ˈspe-shəl-ˈnēdz 

adjective

or special needs

special-needs children

a special needs teacher

Examples of special needs in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

According to the lawsuit, the special needs student, who attended Maidens Choice School in Catonsville, was given melatonin each morning for about two months by his teacher and her aides. —Jt Moodee Lockman, CBS News, 27 May 2026

Parents sometimes divide estates among their children in unequal shares to account for special needs or family circumstances. —Virginia La Torre Jeker, Forbes.com, 26 May 2026

But the competitors, all boys and girls with intellectual disabilities, helped usher in a new and more inclusive era in sports, at a time when children with special needs were often locked away at home or shipped off to institutions. —Harrison Smith, Washington Post, 23 May 2026

Matthew won the Miami-Dade Silver Knight Music & Dance Award after creating a nonprofit, Harmony Hugs, which offers music enrichment programs for special needs children in South Florida. —Delia Rose Sauer, Miami Herald, 21 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1899, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for special needs

• centipedes
• intercedes
• millipedes
• supersedes
• accedes
• concedes
• exceeds
• impedes
• misdeeds
• misleads
• oilseeds
• precedes

Kids Definition

special needs

plural noun

: any of various difficulties (such as physical, emotional, behavioral, or learning disability or impairment) that causes an individual to require additional or specialized services or accommodations (such as in education or recreation)

special–needs adjective

Medical Definition

special needs

noun plural

: the individual requirements (as for education) of a person with a disadvantaged background or a mental, emotional, or physical disability or a high risk of developing one

Some urban homeschooled kids, particularly those with special needs, were previously enrolled in school but not served well there.

—Linda Perlstein, Newsweek

special-needs adjective

special-needs students