Our feature article this month is our podcast with Irisa Leverette, a math professor by day and warrior mom 24/7 to her 20-year-old son Darius, also known as Darius, King of Stimming. Darius was diagnosed with autism at the age of 18 months. Through their journey, Irisa has used her platform to challenge stereotypes, raise awareness, and show the world that while autism may be a different road, it can still lead to a beautiful life.
Don’t worry if you don’t feel like reading; you can enjoy the podcast by listening below on YouTube.
[Click to Listen to Podcast]
Getting to Know Darius and Irisa: Early Diagnosis & Grief
We first learned about Darius from a reader who said we needed to talk to him and his warrior mom, Irisa, who is raising awareness about autism. Darius is popular among young college kids and has a big following.
Our reader who told us about Darius is a young person, and when we asked how he felt about Darius’ videos, he told us that “we’re all rooting for him.”
Irisa told us she was kind of in denial in the early years, feeling hopeless at first. As a parent, you wonder what type of life your child will have and whether people will accept him, not knowing where the road will lead.
Irisa told us that besides the uncertainty and denial, there was a lot of questioning about why, why us, and why Darius. There were moments of grief, and she felt like grieving the child she thought she would have.
Instead of thinking that your child will become a doctor, lawyer, or teacher, you hear autism and wonder what the future is going to be. Who will take care of him?
All these thoughts start flooding your mind. Irisa tells us the beginning was kind of hard with that uncertainty, confusion, and worrying.
Another issue Irisa faced was feeling stuck, like in a box in her own world. She said others don’t really understand you, and everything becomes a routine, a world you are stuck in. It’s all about your child and trying to create the best life for them.
Raising Awareness & Going Viral
We present Irisa’s story in her words (selected and abridged from the podcast):
I started posting pictures of Darius on Facebook and Instagram, and my friends and family would see what I posted about his day. At first, it was a small circle, and I wasn’t really comfortable talking about autism, like coming out and just telling people this is autism.
I started posting more about what Darius did, and then, I met a singer on Instagram and talked to her about making an autism anthem, a song. So we did that and knew we needed to get a bigger audience and let people hear this song.
I started posting more on TikTok, and so people started asking questions and engaging with us. I thought, “Wait a minute, I can do this.” I started talking more and more about our daily lives.
People would ask, “What is Darius doing today or at school?” I became comfortable sharing more because people were becoming interested in him.
Then I thought, “You know what? This autism, like Darius, like the level that he’s on, he has high support needs.”
Highlighting The Unseen Population
There’s a whole population of people you don’t see. Many people are not familiar with special needs individuals like Darius, who are different.
There are others like him that people aren’t aware of: the non-verbal, the stimming, or the children who elope (wander or run away from a safe caregiver or environment).
It’s not the actor playing a doctor with autism on TV who knows everything about dinosaurs and trains and is talkative.
