Which term refers to students who require additional support due to physical,…

Concept: Inclusive-education vocabulary names learner groups by the axis on which a learner differs from the ordinary classroom expectation — level of attainment, language repertoire, or the presence of a recognised disability or impairment that calls for planned accommodation. The label reserved for that last axis is Children with Special Needs (CWSN).

Application: The stem defines its target group by three condition domains — physical, emotional and learning challenges — and by the consequence that the learner needs additional support. That is exactly the definition of Children with Special Needs. In Indian school education this term covers learners whose conditions are recognised under the RPwD Act 2016 (locomotor, visual and hearing impairment, intellectual disability, autism spectrum disorder and specific learning disabilities). The legal and policy framework for them comes from separate instruments: the RPwD Act 2016 requires inclusive education with reasonable accommodation and individualised support; the RTE Act 2009 secures the right to free and compulsory elementary education; NEP 2020 recommends measures such as resource centres, special educators and assistive devices; and examination concessions such as a scribe or extra time are governed by separate government guidelines.

Contrast: The four terms classify learners on four different axes.

Result: Because the defining feature in the stem is a physical, emotional or learning condition that creates a need for additional support, the term is Children with Special Needs (CWSN).