In education, designation for a child who cannot be well served by regular school programs and requires special education or adapted education to develop his or her fullest potential. Children with special needs include gifted children, who have unusual and superior talents, and children with various handicaps, including those with learning disabilities, mental retardation, and mental disorders, as well as cultural or socioeconomic disadvantages that require compensatory education.
Any disability or functional limitation, e.g., attention deficit disorder, autism, blindness, deafness, or impaired mobility.