While it is common for a distinction to be made between mild, moderate, and severe levels of emotional disturbance, little empirical evidence exists to support such a distinction. This investigation obtained teachers' opinions as to the extent to which certain characteristics of emotionally disturbed children should be considered within mild, moderate, or severe subcategories. Five characteristics were thought to be descriptive of mildly disturbed children, and five were thought most descriptive of severely disturbed children; no consensus was obtained with regard to the moderately disturbed subgroup.
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