The Comprehension of Humorous Materials by Adolescents with High-Functioning Autism and Asperger's Syndrome.

A study investigated the ability of 8 adolescents with Asperger syndrome or high-functioning autism to pick funny endings for cartoons and jokes. The adolescents with autism had significantly poorer comprehension of cartoons and jokes than age-matched controls. Both subjects and controls had more difficulty with the joke task. (Contains references.) (Author/CR)