Don't ever let anyone tell you that humor is lost on an Aspie.

My son not only gets humor, he is a connoseur of puns and sarcasm.

Most of the time the jokes he tells make sense, mainly because he tells the same three over, and over, and over. People who have never heard them before think they are hilarious.

Q: How does Darth Vader get to his penthouse apartment?

A: He uses the ele-vader.

Yes, I know....groan! Eight year-olds think that one rocks though. And when adults laugh at it, Ian's grin covers his entire face. Making people laugh helps him fit in. He feels like part of the group.

Laughter makes everyone feel good about the social situation they are in and also about themselves. Laughter binds people together, even if just for a moment. It is difficult to dislike or be angry with someone who can make you laugh.

When Ian was three, every time we wanted to take his picture he would put on this comedic face with wide eyes and an enormouse open-mouthed smile. I waited for the day that he would tip a top-hat from his head, wave his hands in the air and say, "hah-cha-cha". I still love the pictures of him like this, because it is evidence that despite the challenges he was facing, there was still plenty of joy inside.

This afternoon I was working on a sketch for a painting of a barn in a field of trees. My plan was to paint it as a fall scene. When Ian saw the completed sketch it was just a plain piece of white watercolor paper with some black lines.

"Well, what do you think of my sketch?" I asked my curious son.

"It's great! What are you going to call it - Farm in White?" he said with just enough sarcasm to let me know he was teasing me.

I completely cracked up. "Ian, that's the funniest thing I've heard in a long time!"

He smiled and said, "I know." Then he bounced happily to his room to play.

He is so proud of himself when he makes people laugh. With me, he seems to put in a little extra effort, like a comic trying out new material. I like being his test audience. He saves the best stuff for me.