In all of the following, whenever I say something about ASR, it is all just my personal opinion.
As any parent who's spend the countless hours, days, weeks, accumulating the knowledge to navigate the system and then navigating the system for disability advocacy for their own child knows:
"Special Needs" refers to any child who qualifies for services under federal disabilities law in order for that child to receive a FAPE (Free, appropriate, public education). Again, this is all federal--this part (basic qualification standards under one or both of these two statutes) doesn't vary from state to state.
Most specifically, it means any child who qualifies for a 504 plan or an IEP plan.
For a 504 plan, you can qualify based on OHI (other health impaired) or EBD (emotionally or behaviorally disordered).
Some of the kids at ASR might be dual diagnosis and qualify for special ed under more than one category.
Virtually every child ASR claims to service, if the child actually has the problems the parents and ASR say he has, would qualify for a 504 plan in the EBD category.
Julie