A young boy on the autism spectrum has gone viral recently after a nearby factory offered him the opportunity to indulge his obsession with road signs by designing his very own speed limit sign to take home.
Theo Goodwin is nine years old and is on the autism spectrum; he was diagnosed at the age of three. It is common for people with this condition to obsess over very specific fascinations, and, for Theo, it’s road signs. At least for now.
“Theo is autistic and goes through a lot of different obsessions from toothpaste to spices,” says his dad, 35-year-old Carl Goodwin. “More recently, he gained an interest in road signs and speed signs.”
Theo has an amazing photographic memory and can recall every single road sign that exists between his house in Rhondda Cynon Taff and Cardiff, Wales, 20 miles away.
With the help of his dad, Theo runs his own TikTok, happily showcasing his love for all things road-related, especially road signs. He has over 60,000 followers who appreciate his unique talents and hobbies.
After hearing about Theo’s obsession with cars, roads, and street signs, a sign factory in Warwickshire invited him to come for a visit. During his visit, he got to see all the behind-the-scenes activities that go into designing and printing road signs for use on real roadways. A dream come true!
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“We often do road sign hunting and look for different speed signs,” says Carl. “Every Sunday, we go to Cardiff and he can name every road sign on the journey. A couple of weeks ago we posted a video of this on TikTok and then Nuneaton Signs got in touch after viewing the video. They sent Theo a present which included some road sign table mats, a road sign poster, and then they invited us up for the day.
While he was there, Theo was also offered the opportunity to design his own street sign to take home with him. He decided on a 30 mph sign with his name above the numbers. Great choice, Theo!
Luckily, Theo’s father had the foresight to make a TikTok video of him visiting the sign factory, because it’s been an absolute hit of a video. The TikTok has been viewed several thousand times in just about a week’s time.
Theo also got a huge road sign that lights up to take home with him. “He absolutely loved his trip and has not stop talking about it – he is already planning his next trip,” says Carl.
This just goes to show that we should all be proud of our special interests, no matter how odd they may seem to other people. You never know how many people might actually think your obsession is awesome!
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Source: The Autism Site Blog
