I also love seeing this happen to other people and have been very lucky to see it in my job on numerous occasions.
The first time I remember experiencing this uncontrollable happiness and laughter was only a few months into my role as a CLF in No Limits Oxfordshire. It was a lovely day so another member of staff and I took Aja to the park to throw a bean bag about, which she loves. We were throwing back and forth to each other really well but then I threw the bag and missed Aja’s lap, instead the bean bag fell to the side of her chair. Aja started laughing and tried to reach for the bean bag. The next thing I know is she is not moving just staying there reaching so I quickly go over to her to see if she is alright. To my surprise and relief Aja was in fact laughing… so hard that no sound was coming out and her eyes were streaming with tears. Well that was it, I was then laughing uncontrollably with her and this lasted what seemed like forever, before we were both worn out and needed five minutes to recover.
I have had this happen with Aja on a few occasions and the best one was when she was not her usual happy self so I supported her to go and see another young person in Redlands, Banbury. This young man uses other ways of communicating rather than speech and he responds well to blowing raspberries. I started the game of raspberry ping pong, and once again Aja was laughing which started the rest of us off laughing too. On these occasions Aja and I just look at each other’s faces with big smiles and tears streaming down our cheeks. Needless to say Aja was then a lot happier for the rest of the day.
As a CLF I give myself one particular goal for the day and that is to make the person I’m supporting smile. I do of course know the importance of everything else that needs to be achieved, but my personal little achievement is feeding someone a spoonful of laugher especially on those medicine-like type days.
Victoria Sage
Community Learning Facilitator
Macintyre No Limits, Oxfordshire
Click here to view this month's MacIntyre Story, 'MacIntyre's Tea Party Fun'