Four technical assistance papers developed by Texas' Joint Task Force on Emotional Disturbance comprise this manual. The first paper, "Definition of Emotional Disturbance," is intended to clarify federal regulations and Texas State Board of Education rules on identifying emotionally disturbed students. Specific citations from appropriate legal codes are given and the text following each citation discusses the rule or regulation as it relates to identification and/or assessment issues. The second paper, "Establishing Educational Need for Seriously Emotionally Disturbed Students," addresses the two-step process of assessing eligibility for special education services through determining the student's condition and educational need. The paper also describes educational needs in academic, behavioral, and developmental domains; and outlines the procedural steps involved in establishing educational need. The final two papers, titled "Determining the Severity of Serious Emotional Disturbance: Decision-Making Guidelines" and "Differential Diagnosis of Social Maladjustment or Serious Emotional Disturbance," provide information to assist professionals in (1) assessing the severity of emotional illness and (2) differentiating between serious emotional disturbance and social maladjustment. (JDD)