ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the global state of special education and those gradually evolving social, political and economic influences that affect the education of individuals with disabilities. It discusses cross-national comparisons of disability categories served; patterns of service establishment; and selected hypotheses to explain special education development. Special education development throughout the world progresses through predictable stages as a result of social, political and economic forces from within and outside a nation. The history of special education development in nearly every nation follows a similar pattern. Many governments increased their annual grants and funding of teachers in special schools and established special education departments in their Ministries. The need hypothesis attempts to pair epidemiological measures to the development of special education, suggesting that the number of children in need of special services will influence the numbers that receive these services. The special education index is the proportion of all school-aged children who are enrolled in special education.
