Defining emotional disturbance public policy and research

The legal definition of “emotional disturbance” proposed by the Federal Government under PL 94–142 is Bower's 1957 definition with some modifications. The modifications do serious damage to the integrity of the research and conceptual base from which the definition is drawn. The difficulties inherent in a definition of this type of handicapped are delineated. It is suggested that where policy makers and researchers join together, such relationships are best enhanced when each respects the assumptions and concepts of the other.