Beware Autistic Child

Recently I was driving through a suburban neighborhood and saw the oddest sign. A yellow street sign warning passers-through about....an autistic child. How what does this mean exactly? I can't quite figure it out and I have been thinking about it for a while. Below is a picture of the sign.As far as I can figure, this is a warning to those in the neighborhood not to be alarmed if a kid starts acting strangely. Or perhaps to be on the lookout for unusual people in the neighborhood who might take advantage of an autistic child. Or maybe it's just a statement letting everyone know why the Jones boy can't stop shouting everytime he sees a yellow car. Perhaps it's a reminder to the neighbors to pay extra attention to the kid to make sure he isn't picked upon by the bullies, or doesn't decide to wander off into the woods. Maybe it's just another way of saying drive-slow-around-here-because-you-never-know-who-might-wander-
into-the-street.

But if that is the case, why not just use a "drive slow, children playing" sign? I suppose the sign owners figured they would you get a bigger reaction the autistic child sign, for example, cars slamming on their brakes and people jumping out into the middle of the road to take pictures with their cell phone camera. Hm.

But after all this, I still can't help but be reminded of the "Prison Area. Do not pick up hitchhikers" signs you see all across the great state of Texas.