Twenty-one elementary and 19 secondary emotionally disturbed (ED) children were administered the Paired Hands Test (PDT), an index of social adjustment in which Ss are asked to indicate what the hands in the photographed test item are doing. A list of emotional indicators was compiled by comparing Ss' test responses with those of 1235 nondisturbed students (grades 4-6). Seventeen indicators were found to identify 81% of the ED Ss and 25% of the normative sample when a criterion of three or more indicators was used as a cutoff. Further comparisons suggested that three or more indicators may be used as a further guide to clinical treatment. Analysis of PHT indicators for secondary Ss were not as conclusive. (CL)