This study examined the special education needs of school-aged children living in emergency homeless family shelters in Los Angeles (California). Specifically, the study: (1) identified the proportion of sheltered homeless children with a probable behavior problem, learning disability, or mental retardation; (2) examined the level of unmet need for special education evaluation; and (3) explored how children's need for special education evaluation may relate to use of services in other sectors, such as specialty mental health and general health services. Interviews were conducted with 118 parents and 169 children were tested. Forty-five percent of the children had been homeless for more than 2 months and 40 percent had changed schools 2-5 times in the past 12 months. Overall, 45 percent of the children merited a special education evaluation, yet only 23 percent had ever been evaluated or received special education services. Specifically, about 25 percent of the children needed an evaluation for a behavior problem, 20 percent for a learning disability, and 8 percent for mental retardation. Results suggest that homeless children have a high level of unmet need for special education evaluation and services, but that procedures for determining eligibility and placement should be adapted to accommodate the extreme transience of this population. (Contains 25 references.) (DB)