Laugh Tracks

Growing up, my oldest sister, April, disliked shows with laugh-tracks - pre-recorded laughter- in them. Perhaps it was her head-strong attitude not wanting to be told when she should laugh or believe something was funny, or it could have possibly been the sound of the pre-recorded laughter. Either way, she didn’t like them. Being the youngest sister of three, I was well aware of the shows that had laugh tracks, and would at times use this to annoy my oldest sister. 

Because of this history, I am keenly aware of shows that have embedded laugh-tracks, and I internally take note when I hear that laughter cue. 

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Recently, I was sitting in my bedroom, folding laundry and listening to Taylor Swift music when I heard Dawson and my husband, Damen, watching a show in the living room. Curious, I paused my music to hear what show they were watching - it was The Big Bang Theory. I wasn’t surprised, as Dawson had recently been drawn to this show.  I continued folding. Then I heard  a joke with a direct sexual reference, and the laugh-track that followed. Dawson started laughing, paused, and asked Damen, “Dad, wasn’t that funny?” 

–Now, if I had thought that Dawson truly understood the joke, I might have been nervous; but I was confident the sexual connotation was lost on him. –

Damen responded to Dawson, “What was funny about that?” - I presume to confirm that Dawson didn’t understand the reference. Dawson took a moment to answer and said, “Well, the other people laughed, so that means it’s funny!” 

At that moment, I realized that Dawson loves the predictability - the social coaching - of the laugh tracks in the show. He was relying on those moments of laughter to teach him the humor and the socially appropriate time to laugh. 

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I often talk about the self-regulation skills that Dawson has, but hadn’t considered the use of entertainment cues. I had ignorantly assumed he was drawn to the show because he identified with some of the characters, which he still may; but it became clear that day, that he also appreciates the guidance for the laughter. And though I am certain Dawson doesn’t always understand the humor he is laughing about, I will allow him to continue to watch shows that give him comfort and support in connecting to the neurotypical world.