Children with Special
Needs—Who Are They?
Over the past 20 years, the number of students
with disabilities has been steadily
increasing at a faster rate than both the general
population and school enrollment.4
Today, approximately one of six students in
schools across the United States cannot benefit
fully from a traditional educational program
because they have a disability that
impairs their ability to participate in classroom
activities.5 Federal law defines students
with special needs as those who, because of a
disability, require special education and
related services to achieve their fullest potential.
6 According to the most recent government
statistics, more than 5 million students
ages 6 to 17 were receiving special education
services during the 1997–98 school year.7 As
shown in Figure 1, students’ disabilities
ranged from speech and language impairments
to mental retardation, and more than