The question of the learning difficulties many students have with mathematics and the measures needed to change this situation is a sensitive issue for the entire education system. For several decades, it has also been the main focus of many researchers. To raise awareness of the complexity of the treatment of this question, we chose to answer the following questions : How has the handling of this question evolved over recent decades ? What theories and research have stood out during this evolution ? How has teaching mathematics to students with special needs evolved or positioned itself in relation to teaching mathematics in regular classes ? What are some promising avenues for teaching students with learning difficulties in mathematics ? What difficulties are teachers confronted with in special education ? What are the expectations and practices in the regular and special classes of future special education teachers ? How will they evolve over the course of their training ? We support the answers we offer with research from the fields of psychology, education and the didactics of mathematics and on some experiments we carried out ourselves.