TO AID IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF APPROPRIATE REMEDIAL MEASURES, A STUDY OF EDUCATIONALLY HANDICAPPED STUDENTS WAS CONDUCTED IN A PALO ALTO, CALIFORNIA, MIDDLE-CLASS SCHOOL DISTRICT WITH A SAMPLE OF 304 ELEMENTARY AND JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS. THE TWO IMMEDIATE PURPOSES OF THE STUDY WERE--(1) TO DISCOVER HOW TO IDENTIFY, DESCRIBE, AND LABEL MORE PRECISELY THE CHARACTERISTICS OF EDUCATIONALLY HANDICAPPED CHILDREN, AND (2) TO FURTHER CLARIFY THE CAUSES OF LEARNING DISABILITIES. FIRST EDUCATIONALLY HANDICAPPED CHILDREN AND THEIR SAME SEX SIBLINGS WERE MATCHED WITH ACADEMICALLY SUCCESSFUL CHILDREN AND THEIR SAME SEX SIBLINGS. THE CHILD'S ORDINAL POSITION WITHIN THE FAMILY WAS NOT FOUND TO BE SIGNIFICANTLY RELATED TO HIS LEARNING DISABILITY. THEN TO EXPLORE OTHER FAMILIAL ASPECTS OF POOR LEARNING ABILITY, THE PARENTS OF THE CHILDREN IN BOTH GROUPS WERE COMPARED. IT WAS FOUND THAT THE SOCIOECONOMIC AND EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUNDS OF THE PARENTS DID NOT DIFFER MARKEDLY. HOWEVER THE PARENTS OF THE ACADEMICALLY SUCCESSFUL GROUP DID BETTER ON HIGH SCHOOL READING TESTS ADMINISTERED AS PART OF THE STUDY THAN DID THE PARENTS OF THE EDUCATIONALLY HANDICAPPED CHILDREN. THEY ALSO HAD RECEIVED HIGHER GRADES IN HIGH SCHOOL ENGLISH AND LANGUAGE ARTS COURSES. IN MATHEMATICS THERE WERE NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE FATHERS IN THE TWO GROUPS ALTHOUGH THE MOTHERS OF THE ACADEMICALLY SUCCESSFUL GROUP HAD RECEIVED HIGHER HIGH SCHOOL GRADES THAN DID THE MOTHERS IN THE HANDICAP GROUP. A SECOND PHASE OF THE STUDY WILL BE COMPLETED AND REPORTED LATER. THIS PAPER WAS PREPARED FOR PRESENTATION AT THE SRCD MEETINGS IN NEW YORK, MARCH 31, 1967. (DK)