Education for the Challenged

Special education is instruction designed for students with disabilities or gifts and talents who also have special learning needs. Some of these students have difficulty in learning in regular classrooms; they need special education to function in school. Others generally do well in regular classrooms, but they need special education to help them master certain skills to reach their full potential in school. Students are considered exceptional when they (i) meet the criteria for being classified as exceptional and (ii) require a modification of school practices, or special educational services, to develop to maximum capacity. A disability results from a medical, social, or learning difficulty that interferes significantly with the student's normal growth and development, such as the ability to profit from schooling experiences or the ability to participate successfully in work activities. Special education is evidence of society's willingness to recognize and respond to the individual needs of students and the limits of regular school programs to accommodate those needs.