Autistic 5-year-old says getting to know Harley Davidson bikers brought him out of his shell
He connects with motorcycle riders by giving them custom hog stickers.
Young boy with autism meets bikers to practice socializing.
Young boys are are often obsessed with motorcycles—especially Nathan Archibeque, a 5-year-old autistic boy who lives in Washington state. A biker enthusiast, Nathan (whose nickname is "Cookie Monster") has turned his love for their loud engines and speed into a way to practice socializing and speaking with the help of his mom, Shelbie.
Shelbie, a single mom, is Nathan's biggest advocate and has documented his autism journey and love for motorcycles on social media (@mamadontbreak). Whenever they see a motorcyclist while out and about, they use it as an opportunity for Nathan to connect and practice interacting with others.
"My five year old son has autism and used to not talk to people. He gives out stickers to bikes he likes and Harley Davidson made him some custom ones to hand out and help him socialize," she wrote in one post's caption.
In the video, Nathan approaches two bikers who he gifts stickers to. The bikers take off their helmets and speak with him, thanking him for the sticker and giving him a chance to practice shaking hands. The bikers also have Nathan help them put the stickers proudly on their bikes. "Now when I do wheelies, everybody will see it!" one biker says.
The interactions have helped Nathan's communication skills greatly improve. "If you have a bike, he’ll talk to you. A year ago, he barely talked to anyone – and now it’s like if you have a bike he’ll talk your ear off, ask how long have you been riding, what you ride," Shelbie told Fox6 in 2024.
Shelbie documents the interactions, which she notes have helped restore her faith in humanity. "Small acts of kindness go so far, and create a ripple throughout our community that we just can’t get enough of. I still can’t get over how far Cookie Monster has come with his social interaction, and he helps restore my faith in humanity every single day 💙," she wrote in another post.
In another video, Shelbie explained just how Harley Davidson connected with her and Nathan to design a sticker just for them. "When Cookie Monster was 3, a biker gave him a sticker. He then wanted to start giving out his own stickers, so we made the original Cookie Monster riding a motorcycle stickers to hand out," she explained.
Shelbie made a video about it, which made its way to Harley Davidson. "Harley Davidson saw it, and they invited us to their museum," Nathan said in the video. To get to the museum in Milwaukee, Nathan sold lemonade to raise funds. They made it, and Nathan took his first airplane ride.
"While we were at the Museum, they gifted Cookie Monster with a few bundles of these custom stickers with our username and their logo. Truly an honor to receive!" Shelbie added. The kind gift inspired Nathan to design his own motorcycle merch called Moto Monsters Awesometism to raise awareness about autism.