can elucidate a bit more with Teresa and gingerw oh ok I will but as I am in autism burnout it will take me till the end of the week to get my thoughts together to give an adequate expalantion .please can Teresa volunteer mentor and gingerw to remind me

@mamacita

I'm happy to see you back on line. I want you to know that I have never been good with getting the humor in most jokes people tell. I tried to read the funnies in the newspaper when I was in my 20s, but never saw the humor. I haven't read them since. I've always thought there must be something wrong with me that I saw these jokes/cartoons as all too true to be funny. There are many traits I have in common with you, but I recognize that I'm not atypical. However, I feel like because of your and @sirgalahad sharing here, I better understand what your experience is.

I watched a Netflix show called "Atypical" and it was one of the best I've seen; funny and poignant. Have you seen this show, and if so, could you comment on its authenticity or lack of? I felt like I had a much better understanding of the autism spectrum as a result of watching the 2 seasons of the show. My grandson has Tourettes Syndrome, and he has struggled with bullying at school, learning disabilities, fear of touch, as well as OCD, and ADHD. He's 17 now and his ticks are much better as is his attitude. He's very brave and has an amazing level of self confidence and empathy for others. I respect his experiences and his ability to make his life work. He's currently preparing himself to leave home when he graduates from high school next spring. He's extremely smart in mathematics and literature and is an excellent writer. He wants to become an engineer, whiche is a great choice for him. I think understanding my grandson has helped me accept the differences and gifts we each bring to this world. Every living being, human, animal, plant has a valuable and rich contribution to make in this world.

Thanks for adding to my learning and understanding.

Please take care of yourself, @mamacita. I hope your foot surgery goes very well. I'll be praying for you! How long is your recovery expected to take?

@mamacita I hope your surgery goes amazingly well and that you are back up and dancing down the road pretty soon. We're here for you!

@hopeful33250 @mamacita @sirgalahad and others: As someone on the spectrum, I never stopped to consider that my view was differently wired from the person right next to me. All my life I have seen things very seriously. I take someone's words as words, and as sirgalahad said, changes in tone, or nuances don't mean anything. I don't hear the humor. Remember the old saying, "half a joke in full earnest"? It's like that. Now, when you combine verbal with physical comedy together, sometimes I'll get that, as auditory and visual cues process differently, but together (for me, anyways) they can give me the intent behind it. This actually is a bit of an issue in my marriage, as my husband has a witty sense of humor, but complains I take things too seriously. I only hear the words, not the tone or meaning. I hope this makes some sense?
Ginger