Recently, a new sensation has taken the internet by storm. Instagram and Tiktok user, @myautismstar is ran by Irisa Nickie Leverette. 

Irisa documents the daily life of her son, Darius. She records her son’s mornings before school, eating, and spreads awareness about his “stimming”.

Stimming is short for self-stimulating behaviors. The term “stim” is used to describe one of these behaviors, which can include doing an action over and over or repeating the same sound several times. People with Autism sometimes use stimming to help cope with emotions. 

Irisa uses these videos to spread awareness about her son and to help out other parents of autistic children. Irisa is a Professor of Mathematics at Kean University. She utilizes her background in education to help Darius speak effectively. It is inspiring to us that for someone who faces his challenges he is able to show so much growth with his communication skills.

Darius is known for his reaction at Crumbl Cookies’ stim, “Darius why are you in my closet?”, and “I see a Bugatti” stim. 

Some underrated options, like “contacting the mothership,” “high frequency,” and “cutting stim,” are some other fan favorites. 

In his, “I see a Bugatti” stim, Irisa thought that he was cursing. She repeated, “You cursing,” yet Darius continued going. While many critiqued Darius for not listening, others understand that he was simply envisioning his future success.

However, Darius sometimes is up to no good. A few months ago, Irisa documented that Darius swallowed a lithium battery and had to be admitted to the hospital. His fandom was worried sick about him. Luckily, Darius eventually got released. His family was so glad to have him home!

When The Eagle’s Cry emailed Darius and his family we received permission and a thank you from Irisa. She stated, “Thank you for supporting Darius and me.”

In conclusion, Irisa has received many supporters for her support of not only Darius but the autism community as a whole. We appreciate how Darius’s mom uses the internet to promote Autism awareness.