But seriously: clowning in children's mental health.

Dr. Lilly Pad was conducting an Eye Test. She would hold up a brown letter ‘‘E’’ and ask the kids what it was: a ‘‘Brownie.’’ She’d hold up another, with a red letter ‘‘E’’ and say ‘‘Are youIRed E?’’ Lots of word play. There was a teenager sitting in a corner. He hadn’t been saying anything before this, but during this game, he was the first to get it, each and every time. An ‘‘I’’ written in the color black? A black eye. Every time Dr. Lilly Pad held one up, he got it. He showed us who he was and what he knew, and afterwards the staff told us that that was when they learned who this kid was.V Dr. Chester Drawers (personal communication, 2008)