What is special needs, really?

According to the online encyclopedia, Wikipedia, in the United States, special needs is “…a term used in clinical diagnostic and functional development to describe individuals who require assistance for disabilities that may be medical, mental, or psychological.” In the United Kingdom, they refer to “special needs within an educational context. This is also referred to as special educational needs (SEN).”

Unfortunately, special needs is primarily defined by a child’s limitations and not their potential. A child may have special medical, developmental, mental, behavioral or physical challenges. The conditions are broad and it is not uncommon for a child who possesses one limitation to possess others.

Indeed, it may be important to define a child’s limitations at the outset as it can help us to better empathize with his or her needs, but we should quickly seek to explore the child’s potential after the limitations are established.