The definition of being emotionally disturbed varies depending on who you to talk to. Doctors do not even agree on what exactly classifies a person as being emotionally disturbed. Therefore, school districts can mistakenly diagnose this as well. Most people would plainly define it in a child as a child who has strangeness socially interacting with others. They may whether continuously put themselves in isolation or show very aggressive behavior on a regular basis.
Note that there are two sides of the spectrum when it comes to being emotionally disturbed. Firstly, you can be emotionally distressed and never show any form of anger. In fact, you can be exactly the opposite. A child who has ultimate strangeness in interacting with other children can be thought about to have this emotional problem. If you are trying to diagnose your child for this reason, you should seriously evaluate them in a group setting. It is coarse for those who are truly emotionally disturbed to totally avoid any form of interaction.
The aggressive behavior is also a sign of being emotionally disturbed. We are not talking about a one or two child fights. Practically all people have those. The dissimilarity in the middle of those who are emotionally disturbed and those who are not are ones that are constantly and usually showing aggressive behavior. You may find that they are even aggressive to toys while playing by themselves. Typically children who are emotionally disturbed have discrete reasons to be. If you are unsure, you should start out by pulling your child aside and asking them what the problem could be. Many will break down and tell you what the problem is. Others may try to hide it from you.
Generally though, there is always a presuppose and it should be a priority to find out what the problem might be.
Always keep in mind that children are going to be children. Just because your child is the bully at school or is shy does not mean there is a problem. You must evaluate what is general and what is abnormal to rule whether they are emotionally disturbed or not. Going to the doctor and telling him that he got in a combine of fights in the last combine of weeks is not adequate for the doctor to unmistakably consider him whatever more than normal. When in doubt, always go to a doctor for their opinion.