[southern rock]

Not to sound like a smart A$$,but what is special needs about the woman who got punched?

Mental illness. "Special needs" is just a dumb euphemism.

[null and void]

Mental illness. "Special needs" is just a dumb euphemism.

Might not be mentally ill, might simply be what we used to call "retarded".

[Albion Wilde]

Mental illness. "Special needs" is just a dumb euphemism.

Usually "special needs" refers to a genetic or birth-injury developmental delay (the kind of thing that used to be called "retarded") like multiple sclerosis or Down Syndrome, and not to mental illness, which is generally either schizophrenia or emotional impairment, and don't cause the same kind of speech patterns as do developmental delays. The passenger would have chosen that term when he heard the woman speaking.