to some viewers being worried that Theo's autism would be cut out with the casting of the "pretty boy" actor but most were relieved when the writers decided to continue Theo's autism storyline. TVSource Magazine's Coryon Gray praised the actor for his "spot on" and "believable" portrayal of the autistic teenager upon his debut. Gray also hailed Pettis as one of the strongest new actors in the teen scene. Gray later said "there's no denying that Kyler Pettis' Theo has grown to become a great character with some of the most natural writing on the show." Gray raved about Pettis' portrayal of Theo when the character gets stranded in a blackout. "Props have to be given when they're deserved and I believe Kyler Pettis deserved them." He continued, "All of Theo's little ticks were brought to life after only ever being talked about on screen, never really shown." Diane Brounstein of SoapHub also praised the writing for the character and described Theo as "The real star" of the week. Laurisa praised Pettis for his "nice performance." Cindy McLennan said "Kyler Pettis has done a deft job with Theo Carver, a character on the Autism spectrum." Michael Goldberg of Serial Scoop praised Pettis for his portrayal as Theo confronts a bully and declared that Pettis "transcends his role." Goldberg said that Pettis portrayed Theo's autism with "ease." Tony S. from Soap Central also praised the plot as it "actually played out much better than expected." He continued, "The depths of Theo's hurt and heartbreak over being bullied was superbly played out by Kyler Pettis." Cindy McLennan from SoapShows described Pettis as a "godsend." McLennan gave Pettis a grade of "A+" for his portrayal and said the actor "managed to make our sweet Theo both relatable and unique." While Pettis definitely looked the part, McLennan said "Pettis has delivered with aplomb." She continued that the actor had "deftly played a character who is not neurotypical without making his character a parody." Christine Orlando from TV Fanatic was a bit more harsh in her judgement of the teenagers. "I think Theo is the only watchable character but when he’s constantly paired with Ciara or Claire, I lose interest fast." In honor of the show's 51st anniversary in 2016, Soap Central included in its list of "51 Reasons to watch." The article stated "Theo is adorable, kind, heroic, brave... (and played to perfection by