This study attempts to determine whether families with a son rated by his teacher as either "high" or "low" on classroom adjustment (behavior indicative of social maturity and achievement motivation) could be differentiated on the basis of their communicative patterns. It was questioned if significant differences existed in the amount of positive or negative interaction displayed between or within such family groups. Families were assigned to the High Classroom Adjustment (HCA) group and Low Classroom Adjustment (LCA) group on the basis of teacher evaluations of self-sufficiency, self-control, achievement motivation, and behavior observations in the school. Interaction sessions were scheduled for each family, with comparisons made between the 2 groups revealing that HCA families displayed more positive and less negative interaction than LCA families. Comparisons between individual family members in the 2 groups were completed also. Results indicate that basic differences do exist between these 2 family groups in their interaction patterns. Dysfunctional communication was characteristic of all members of LCA families. Also, HCA and LCA sons were differentially involved in the family with low-adjustment sons relying on disruptive methods for recognition in the course of family interaction. (MA)