Humour in Autism Spectrum Disorder
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Humour in People with Autism Spectrum Disorder
IRAS ID
177869
Contact name
Kami Koldewyn
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Bangor University
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 2 months, 1 days
Research summary
Some previous research suggests that people with autism have difficulty understanding and using humour, and the generally accepted stereotype of people on the autism spectrum includes the picture of them as "humourless". Although there is little doubt that people with ASD may understand and use humour differently than neurotypical people, other research and many annecdotal reports show that people with ASD can and do use humour to connect with other individuals as well as with both the ASD and neurotypical communities. Here, we plan to interview family members of people with autism spectrum disorder both before and after showing them video examples of people on the spectrum using humour (stand-up comedy and comedy troupe videos). The interview will focus on the family member's own experience and we hope to gain insight into how people with ASD use humour, how that humour has impacted the way in which others view them, and how the use of humour can both help to bind the ASD community together and improve integration of those with ASD into the wider neurotypical community.
REC name
Wales REC 5
REC reference
15/WA/0185
Date of REC Opinion
22 May 2015
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion