special school

(in Britain) an education establishment for disabled children. The discovery and assessment (ascertainment) of those needing to attend a special school may occur long before school age (2 years or younger); the responsibility for deciding who attends a special school lies with the local education authority. Special schools exist for each of the following 11 groups of disabled children: blind, partially sighted, deaf, partially deaf, delicate (those with such medical disabilities as congenital heart disease or cystic fibrosis), educationally subnormal, mentally handicapped (in which learning potential is limited and independent living may prove impossible), maladjusted (those with behavioural difficulties), physically disabled (by such conditions as poliomyelitis, muscular dystrophy, or limb absence from thalidomide), epileptic, and those with speech defects. Some special schools cater for combinations of two or more of these disabilities. Special education for the blind and for those with other severe disabilities may start as early as 2 years, deaf children requiring special education from the date of discovery.