Is this an aspie trait or is something else going on

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Both of my sons do this. They are 16 and 13. My daughter has ADHD and tends to do it, as well. She is 6. I have been doing work with them and explaining certain situations where laughter and smiles aren't appropriate. It seems that now that they are older it is making sense to them. It is a learned experience and they may forget at times but it is helping. My 13 year old practices different faces and reactions in the mirror. I tell him the scenario and he tries to find the appropriate reaction. He is getting it! It takes time but I think many AS kids can learn it as they mature.

I laugh at many times that there is no reason at all to, and am worse if someone is upset with me. Thinking about it right now and analyzing it, I can't help but to think it's just because I don't know how to react/show how I'm feeling, and am unsure of when it is appropriate or not to show how I really do feel when I can. My boyfriend says I often smile and giggle for no reason at all. I'll just be sitting there and giggle, then stop.

Kind of like a tic. But I also tend to find things actually funny at times-things that could be considered horrible, because I relate them to watching cartoons or something. If I hear about a situation, since people tend to exaggerate so incredibly much, I have nothing to relate to it with, and I visualize cartoon characters doing these insanely crazy things. I often laugh about it. It's like I hear "and then the car rolled over him!" and I imagine this HUGE car rolling over someone, cartoon style-sometimes I visualize those little ambulance guys coming and taking the car away after it happens, lol-just because my mind is trying to match up what I'm being told, and I have to see it visually (in my mind) to get what someone is saying to me.

I also tend to laugh over anything confusing-people reacting to things that I do/have done, especially if I don't see where I did anything wrong and can't seem to understand why they are upset, I find it funny.

I also have very very little emotion to people passing away-sure, it is sad, but I always look at it differently than others. I can't do the whole "oh I'm so sorry" thing. I just figure it happened, it can't be changed or anything so why encourage someone to feel worse (which, this is just to me it comes across that way). I tend to try to ask what actually happened, what they died of, etc., so that I can base my response appropriately if they are in need of comforting. Usually I just say "well at least they aren't in pain anymore? Can you imagine how horrible they must have felt over the last few months with that going on? Who would want to live feeling like that?" lol, some find it rude, sometimes I think it's really helpful though

I don't feel like some of you are "getting it". We cannot control this inappropriate laughter/smiling very well and it makes us uncomfortable, but just like when someone starts laughing in a very serious place (such as church, or a funeral, or with a very strict teacher) it's extremely hard to stop. I can clearly remember my uncle asking me as a small child whether I was laughing or crying, because I would laugh when I was upset or freaking out!

If we were able to control it, it probably wouldn't happen at all. For me at least, it isn't any more controllable than sneezing, coughing, etc, and it's just as embarrassing. It isn't being a smart aleck, and it isn't a lack of empathy or an indication of being cold hearted or uncaring. I think what it is, is that socially awkward, confusing, or disruptive situations stress my brain out and trigger the smiling/laughing reflex.

I generally don't mind being aspie, but thsi is one thing about it that I really dislike. My face hardly ever says what I feel, and I can't find the verbal words to say what I feel (although I can write them reasonably well) and so other people never really see what I am really thinking or feeling. It's like wearing soem awful mask that is either neutral and blank wheher you're happy or sad, or laughing its ass off when your heart is breaking, and the face just moves on its own while you stand back and watch in dismay.

I hate that when I'm worried, concerned and upset about what has just happened to someone I care about that often I start laughing. It has driven a number of friends nuts, too. But I'm getting better about suppressing inappropriate laughter. Maybe by the time I'm seventy-four I won't do it anymore.

When I was a kid, my dad used to beat us with a belt. WHen he beat me, I would start leaughing, so he'd beat me harder. At some point, I would start giggling anytime the belt was mentioned, even if I wasn't the one in trouble, and then *I* would end up getting beaten instead of the sibling who had misbehaved. You'd think I'd eventually learn not to do it, but I still giggle at very inappropriate times and I'm 30 years old.