An observational study of emotionally disturbed and learning-disabled children in school settings

It has been alleged that populations of learning-disabled (LD) and emotionally disturbed (ED) children are essentially indistinguishable on important intervention-related symptoms. To examine this claim, a direct observation study of social interactions during class, lunch, and recess settings in two public schools was conducted. Teacher ratings of school behavior were also collected. The results indicated that the ED boys exhibited significantly more nonphysical aggression and noncompliance than the LD boys across settings, and that the LD boys had significantly higher rates of physical and non-physical aggression and immature behavior than the LD girls. The correlations between the observations and teachers' ratings were modest but consistent with previous studies. The results are discussed with regard to their assessment and treatment implications.This study was supported, in part, by a grant from the National Institute of Mental Health (MH30058). The authors wish to acknowledge the assistance of the following individuals: Patricia Grayson, James Fogarty, Merrill Zusmer, James Burke, Elizabeth Mulvihill, and the teachers from the Sayville and Premm Learning Centers (L. Fass, J. Gould, K. Jones, C. Lacey, B. Licking, S. Ott, S. Palmer, J. Thorpe, C. Wangenstein, D. Wayne, and L. Wetter). We also wish to thank Michael H. Epstein and Jan Loney for their helpful comments on an earlier draft of this paper.