When one mom came across her son playing with his favorite toy animals, she initially thought little of it.
However, when she took a closer look at what he was doing, she quickly realized there was more to his game than meets the eye.
Hannah Wakeman, from the West Midlands region of England, took to her TikTok channel, @cleaningwithhan_, to share a glimpse of the special game she discovered her 10-year-old son playing.
“I actually went to check on him as he was quiet for too long,” Wakeman told Newsweek.
Wakeman’s son has autism and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, around 1 in 31 children aged 8 years in the U.S. have been identified with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
When it comes to living with autism, self-regulation is a crucial skill set. It provides the individual with the necessary tools to manage their own emotions, behaviors, and sensory input.
It’s something that can be worked on and improved with age. In the case of Wakeman’s son, his toy animals are a useful tool.
“He orders the animals so he can self regulate and self soothe,” Wakeman said. “The repetitive nature of it can be calming.”
Wakeman said her son has always been an avid collector of toy animals, among other things.
“His special interest is animals; he’s been collecting them for years,” she said. “He also collects Disney DVDs and orders them from their release date.”
However, there was something unique about the way he was playing with his toys on this particular day. So unique that Wakeman felt compelled to share his efforts on social media in a video that has already racked up 2.4 million views.
“I noticed the zebra at the end, that was the moment I realized that I looked at the alligator at the beginning and realized he’d ordered them alphabetically,” she said.
This was something her son had “never done before,” and she decided to share it, in part, as a challenge to viewers online. “I wanted to see without stating, if anyone else could guess what he had done,” Wakeman said.
Having given followers enough time to make their guesses, Wakeman revealed the answer by listing the toy animals in the order they appeared in her son’s lineup: Alligator, bear, camel, dolphin, elephant, flamingo, giraffe, hippo, Iguana, jaguar, kangaroo, lion, monkey, narwhal, octopus, polar bear, quail, rhino, squirrel, tiger, urial, vulture, wolf, X-ray fish, yak, zebra.
While the challenge-like nature of the clip clearly boosted the video’s popularity, Wakeman felt it also offered an intriguing look at “how the autistic mind works.”
It also had a positive impact on Wakeman and her family, with numerous fellow parents of autistic children chiming in on the comments section to offer praise and share stories of similar experiences.
“That’s amazing!!!! My sons autistic so I can relate,” one user wrote.
“My little boy does this as well. Took me ages to realise,” another person commented.
Reflecting on the discovery and their subsequent viral fame, Wakeman has been left with one overriding feeling: pride.
“I felt so proud of my son,” she said. “It’s amazing to hear that so many other children do this too. I think it’s so cool to have that way of thinking.”
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