“…The prevalence of suicide has reached epidemic proportions among young people aged 15 to 24 and has become the third leading cause of death in this age group (Farberow, 1983;Rutter, 1986;Smith, 1990;Welsh, 1987;Youth Suicide, 1985a, 1985b. Suicidal ideation in children may be overlooked by clinicians (Bailey, Schmidt, Lackey, Campana, & Mikeska, 1985;Carlson, Asarnow, & Orbach, 1987;Pfeffer & Trad, 1988;Reynolds, 1990); it also needs to be recognized in students with handicaps, as a high rate of LD is found among children who commit suicide (Guetzloe, 1988(Guetzloe, ,1989Hayes & Sloat, 1988;Mokros, Poznanski, & Merrick, 1989;Rourke, Young, & Leenaars, 1989;Scholevar, 1987). Specifically, Peck (1985) reported that 50% of the children under age 15 who committed suicide in Los Angeles County in a 3-year period had been identified as LD, compared to 5% to 8% in the general population.…”