The affective relationship between six male and one female preschool-aged autistic children and their parents was studied by employing a method enabling systematic analysis of parent/child interaction. Children ranged in age from 3 years, 7 months to 6 years, 4 months. Through use of the Bank Interaction Coding System (BICS), behaviorial sequences of affective expression between autistic children and their parents were identified and described. The nature and quality of each person's responses were considered within the context of the other individual's actions. Additionally, periods of nonrelatedness were examined, and antecedent and consequent parental affective behaviors were described. Sequences of affective patterns in mother/child and father/child dyads, as well as task differences, were compared and contrasted. Severity of children's symptomology ranged from essentially no communication and minimal relatedness to moderate use of language and some relatedness. Results suggested that (1) autistic children do display and maintain affective interaction with parents, and (2) episodes of nonrelatedness are of relatively short duration and do not predominate in interaction with either mother or father. It was concluded that findings demonstrated the potential value of the BICS.(RH)