funny ha, ha

The other evening Mide remembered a book that his teacher was reading to the class in school. Luckily we had it at home (Mr. Stink by David Walliams) so he spent an enjoyable hour before bed reading out all the funny bits he liked from it. Having a sense of humour is something so intrinsically human that we barely think about it. People with autism are sometimes regarded as having no sense of humour or as not being able to understand or tell jokes. In Mide's case this is not true - he enjoys jokes, word-play and puns and he definitely gets the humour in books like Mr. Stink and cartoon strips like Calvin and Hobbes. Indeed, it also helps us as parents to have a sense of humour when dealing with situations that might otherwise make us furious or cry (or both). On more than one occasion we've used silliness and joking to diffuse tension or reduce his anxiety. Of course, that said, it doesn't always work...

Calvin and Hobbes