( CNN ) -- After the fire , all that was left of Jonathan Reyes ' massive Hot Wheels collection was a piece of metal that once was part of a toy car . Jonathan Reyes shows off his new Hot Wheels cars sent by Mattel after they heard his own toys were lost in a fire . But on Wednesday , the arrival of two cardboard boxes at his grandparents ' house sent 7-year-old Jonathan flying to the door , said his mother , Jan Reyes . Mattel , the company that makes Hot Wheels , sent racetracks , play sets , stickers , folders , T-shirts , hats and hundreds of toy cars . `` He was speechless , '' Reyes said . `` He did n't say anything . He just smiled . He opened it up . It was like Christmas . All of us were bawling , crying . He was so happy . '' Jonathan , who has autism , meticulously collected more than 500 Hot Wheels . But all that was destroyed when his Sylmar home , along with hundreds of other structures , were burned down by wildfires in Los Angeles County . Toys are like anchors for children with autism , psychologists say . They like to play with the same toys , eat familiar foods and be in a consistent environment . When faced with unpredictable changes , they can feel frustrated or anxious and become disruptive , according to experts . On Tuesday , Jonathan and his parents searched for his toys among piles of debris , but they found only a piece of a Hot Wheels car and a rusty tricycle . The rest of Jonathan 's toys were reduced to ashes . Watch the Reyes family return to their home . » . Mattel , with headquarters in El Segundo , California , wanted to get involved after hearing on CNN that Jonathan , who had been collecting Hot Wheels since he was 2 , had lost everything . Looking for hope in the ashes . `` We wanted to send as many as possible , '' said Deborah Dicochea , associate manager of the Mattel Children 's Foundation , which sends toys globally to children affected by crisis . `` With autistic children , they like sorting them , arranging them . '' Offers of toys , a computer , resources to connect to other families dealing with autism and financial donations have been pouring into the family . `` It 's wonderful , because he literally lost every toy he had , '' Reyes said . `` He had a personal attachment to all of his toys . Part of autism is they have a little connection to everything and his biggest thing was to his cars . For Mattel to send him the cars and tracks , it 's just incredible . He is so happy . '' The toll of the disruption to Jonathan 's life is starting to become evident . He has been throwing more frequent tantrums as his parents are trying to establish a new routine . But the toys definitely have helped , Reyes said . `` The cars were like gold , '' she said .
Box full of Hot Wheels sent to boy with autism who lost everything . Familiar toys are important for children with autism . Comment: