This study investigated the use of the Draw-a-Person: Screening Procedure for Emotional Disturbance (DAP:SPED) with students enrolled in classes for children with emotional disturbances (ED), learning disabilities (LD), or cognitive disabilities (CD). The DAP:SPED was administered to 39 students in a large urban area in eastern Wisconsin and to 31 students in a small town in southern Wisconsin. Students ranged in age from 7 years 0 months to 14 years 7 months. Subjects included Black, Caucasian, Asian, and Hispanic children. Analysis of variance revealed no significant differences for age, geographical density, or race. Findings indicated the DAP:SPED was able to discriminate between the ED and LD samples but not the ED and CD samples. Results also suggested that the scores of all special education groups were generally indistinguishable from the scores of the standardization sample. Overall, the study concludes that the test may not be a reliable instrument for differentiating ED children from other special populations. (Contains 15 references.) (DB)