30 years old now. Was put in Special Ed at age 9. Dysgraphia + What at the time they called ADHD, but my current psychiatrist and therapist believe is actually ASD.

Special Ed means different things in different places. In Brazil in the very early 2000s it meant I attended school with all the normal kids, but would stay in the afternoon for a bunch of mandatory extra stuff.

Consequences... ? Enh. I mean. I never learned how to properly study, given I had tutors for every subject and so was basically always in class. To this day I'm not sure how one studies on their own. Had quite a hard time through college, when I had to figure this shit out on my own. Still managed to graduate eventually.

But like. Some people who were in Special Ed report, like, major emotional trauma from it. That really wasn't a thing for me, I guess I got lucky? At most I have an irrational dislike of colouring pencils because of all the colouring books they made me fill in, in hopes that would "cure" my dysgraphia (fat load of good THAT did).

I got emotional trauma from bullying, but I was already being bullied before being put in Special Ed. And it didn't get any better or worse until I like. Changed schools.