Children With Special Needs

C hildren with special needs vary widely by disability and circumstance. They include children damaged prenatally, those with physical handicaps, and those with a mental illness, learning disability, or severe emotional problems. On a national basis, about one in every eight children aged 6–14 has some type of disability; 6.8% of children in that age range have diff iculty doing regular schoolwork, 5.2% have a learning disability; 1.5% have a developmental disability (including mental retardation, autism, or cerebral palsy), and 3.7% have some other developmental condition for which they had received therapy or diagnostic services.