Guidelines for clinical diagnosis are given in both the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders and the International Classification of Diseases 9th edition.
Special needs can range from people with autism, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, dyslexia, dyscalculia, dyspraxia, dysgraphia, blindness, deafness, ADHD, and cystic fibrosis.
[9] In the United States "special needs" is a legal term applying in foster care, derived from the language in the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997.
The United States Congress enacted the law to ensure that children in foster care who cannot be reunited with their birth parents are freed for adoption and placed with permanent families as quickly as possible.
[16] Special education aids the student's learning environment to create a uniform system for all children.
A study done by Douglas Marston tested the effects of an integrated learning environment on the academic success of students with special needs.
He calculated the average number of words read by each group in the fall and again in the spring, and compared the outcome.
Certain cultural beliefs and ideologies have prevented the integration of all students regardless of ability, yet in recent years, China has progressed significantly by allocating more funding to programs to support disabled people and striving to create more inclusive communities within schools.