Are both the “special” and the “needs” in “special needs” adjectives?

Question

In the sentence, "she is a special needs child" (referring to someone with a disability), what parts of speech are the words "special needs"? Are both adjectives on their own, or do they only form an adjective together (and what is that called)?

Answer 1

Special needs is an attributive adjective (an adjectival phrase). In fact, it could be written special-needs.