A study involving 42 special education consultants was conducted to determine the contribution of selected consultant characteristics and community demographic variables to the effectiveness of special education consultation. A review of the literature revealed that the consultant effectiveness is a function of multiple factors involving both consultant and community characteristics. Eight measures of consultant effectiveness were used in the study, including the number of children served, number of programs developed per child, and mean academic gain of children. Three stages of the consultation progress were considered: contact or referral, program implementation, and outcome or program effectiveness. Among findings were that the referral stage seems to be influenced primarily by community demographic variables and the consultant's integrative complexity and years of experience; that the mode of program implementation is a function of socioeconomic factors, as well as consultant teaching experience and interpersonal behavior; and that academic gain is influenced most strongly by consultant interpersonal behavior. (SBH)