Glossary

necessidades educativas especiais

Published 8 November 2026, 22:51
necessidades educativas especiais — special educational needs

A general term for the situation of a child who needs different conditions from other children in order to learn: their own pace, different material, help from a special needs teacher, equipment. In Portuguese schools this does not mean a separate class or a separate school: the child studies in an ordinary class, and support is added on top, according to the measures set out in the relatório técnico-pedagógico.

Where you come across it. School enrolment, talking to the head teacher and to EMAEI, a complaint about a lack of support, a court case against the Ministry of Education.
Current official documents more often speak not of ‘special needs’ but of medidas de suporte à aprendizagem e à inclusão — measures to support learning and inclusion. Having needs recognised does not in itself bring places or teachers: these have to be fought for separately.