IN 1961, 164 SECOND GRADE TEACHERS WERE INTERVIEWED REGARDING CLASSROOM BEHAVIOR OF THEIR PUPILS. THE TEACHERS DESCRIBED PUPILS WHO MIGHT BE CONSIDERED EMOTIONALLY DISTURBED, DESCRIBED PROBLEMS PRESENTED BY THESE PUPILS, AND SUGGESTED THE CONTRIBUTING OR COMPLICATING CONDITIONS. TWO ADDITIONAL FOLLOWUP SURVEYS OBTAINED SIMILAR INFORMATION FROM THIRD AND FOURTH GRADE TEACHERS IN 1963 AND FROM FIFTH AND SIXTH GRADE TEACHERS IN 1965. OF 2,035 BOYS AND 1,838 GIRLS, 308 BOYS AND 147 GIRLS WERE SUSPECTED OF BEING EMOTIONALLY DISTURBED IN TWO OR ALL THREE SURVEYS (BY TWO OR THREE TEACHERS OVER SPANS OF 2 OR 4 YEARS). FOR THE 39 GIRLS AND FOR 87 OF THE 92 BOYS, THE OVERALL BEHAVIOR PATTERN WAS DISTURBING AND ANNOYING ACTIVITY, SUGGESTING A SINGLE SYNDROME, WHICH APPEARED IN THREE PROBLEM AREAS (GROUP ASSOCIATION, INDIVIDUAL WORK PERFORMANCE, FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS). THE SYNDROME WAS CHARACTERIZED BY A MUTUAL ALIENATION OF THE CHILD AND THE SCHOOL ENVIRONMENT. THREE BEHAVIOR PATTERNS ASSOCIATED WITH THE SYNDROME OF DISTURBING AND ANNOYING ACTIVITY DIFFERED FOR BOYS AND GIRLS, PROBABLY BECAUSE OF THE INCREASED ACTIVITY AND LOWER ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT EXPECTED AMONG BOYS. THE CHILDREN WITH THIS SYNDROME TYPICALLY HAD RECEIVED THE MAXIMUM HELP WHICH THE SCHOOL COULD OFFER--EXTRA ATTENTION, REMEDIAL PROGRAMS, COUNSELING SERVICES, TRANSFER TO OTHER CLASSROOMS. SOME HAD RECEIVED PROFESSIONAL TREATMENT FROM OTHER SOURCES. A LACK OF ORGANIZED SERVICES AND RESOURCES IS NOTED. OTHER PAPERS WILL REPORT DATA ON CHILDREN WHO WERE IN GRADES 4 AND 6 IN 1961, AND IN JUNIOR AND SENIOR HIGH SCHOOLS IN 1965. (MM)