The effectiveness of special class placement was studied in 33 emotionally disturbed children (ages 8 to 19 years) attending an outpatient psychiatric clinic. It was found, among other things, that there was a positive relationship between success in a special class, and socioeconomic status, intactness of family, and absence of pychopathology in siblings. It was also found that the earlier the S was placed in a special class, the better chance he or she had for improvement, both academically and emotionally. Ss whose parents were receiving treatment for psychological problems also tended to fare better in special classes than those whose parents were not in therapy. A final contributing element in appraising the efficacy of the special classes was the Ss' evaluation and perception of the learning environment; progress in learning was shown to be correlated with feelings of acceptance of the learning environment. (DLS)