From my own experience, when teachers whinge about how many "special needs" students on IEPs they have, take it with a whole cup of salt.
School administrations will label almost any kid as "special needs" because they get extra funding for SEAs and the school.  From the outside, you'd think there was an epidemic of children with mental health and disability issues.  In reality, there just isn't.
Kid is stubborn and doesn't want to learn to read: special needs.  Kid has crappy parents who don't help with homework: special needs.  Kid is tired a lot because they dont go to sleep when they're told: special needs.  Kid is easily distracted in class: special needs.  You see where I'm going with this.
My former stepdaughter was stubborn and wouldn't read, she'd guess from the pictures.  She became "special needs". The school sent her to counselling, told us not to get a tutor, made us wait perpetually for a psych exam, yada yada. I taught the kid to read in a couple months and she now reads