Kean Professor’s Tik Tok Account Draws a Million Followers

By Davaughnia Wilson | Published May 3, 2023

At 18 months old he started showing signs of Autism. He stopped responding to his name and he stopped singing his favorite song, ‘Twinkle Twinkle Little Star’. 

“Darius seemed to be trapped in a different world,” Irisa Leverette, a mathematics professor at Kean said as she spoke of her son who was diagnosed with Autism. “It was difficult learning Darius had Autism. My head was flooded with so many thoughts. How could a child stop talking and no longer recognize his name?”

Leverette spent hours crying and “feeling hopeless.” It was hard for her to comprehend how her child who walked at 10 months old and was the star of his class at the Little Gym could change so suddenly.

“All I could think about was the future. His future, our future, and how he would cope in this world. I saw my hopes, my dreams, my star athlete, and my lead in the school’s play floating away,” Leverette said.   

Nevertheless, Leverette is thankful that she and her husband identified the signs early and were able to get the support and services they needed for Darius. 

According to the American Psychiatric Association, “Autism spectrum disorder is a complex developmental condition involving persistent challenges with social communication, restricted interests, and repetitive behavior.”

Leverette said Darius received early intervention and as such, he was able to start preschool at 3 years old. Darius started using his words again at 8 years old and now at 18 years old, he can communicate his wants and needs and he can say simple phrases. 

In March 2021, Leverette decided to create a TikTok account in preparation for Autism Awareness Month to share a “behind-the-scenes look at Autism,” called ‘The Land of Autism and Algebra.’ The account now has 1 million TikTok followers and Leverette has over 70,000 Instagram followers. 

“I decided to create a TikTok account to show the world the Autism you don’t see in the media,” Leverette said. “It is rare to see children and adults with high support needs. Mostly, what we see are individuals with exceptional skills and intelligence.”

Leverette said a lot of parents with special needs children feel alone because they don’t know other families who are like them. She wanted to use her platform to connect with other families that share that autistic experience.

Individuals on the spectrum have a range of abilities and they are all unique in their own way. Every family is different and faces their own unique challenges. It is important for individuals to know and understand that there are good times and bad, she said. 

“Autism doesn’t come with a manual; therefore, parents have to learn things from other parents,” Leverette said. “We have to support one another on this journey.”

When she began her TikTok journey, she was creating content to spread awareness and acceptance and to simply have fun. She explained that there are a lot of Autism families that share similar content on the app, and she never imagined that her page would gain this large following.

In July 2022, she posted a video of Darius stimming in the closet, and within hours the video went viral. 

“I did not expect it. I’m still processing it,” Leverette said. “I had no clue that people all over the world would accept and love Darius as much as they do.” 

Stimming, according to Healthline, refers to “self-stimulating behaviors, usually involving repetitive movements or sounds.”

Her all-time favorite video on her TikTok page is a pool video. She was shopping at BJs Warehouse and saw that there were pools on sale. Knowing that Darius loves being in the water, she stood there contemplating if she should make the purchase. 

She decided to get the pool to surprise Darius and when he came home, he wanted to jump in fully dressed.

“His reaction melted my heart,” Leverette said. 

For Leverette, the most rewarding part of having an autistic child is being chosen by God to be a mom to an “extraordinary son.” 

“I am blessed,” Leverette said. “Sometimes, I look at him and shed tears because he doesn’t realize that I am not perfect. I’m just ordinary. He doesn’t know there are times I feel like I’m failing him. When he smiles at me or rubs my hair. It is like confirmation that we are going to be alright. He’s saying, ‘Mom, stop worrying about the future and enjoy life’.” 

While most of the content on her TikTok is about Darius, when it began, it also featured their life at home which included work as Leverette taught classes remotely during the pandemic and currently, it features her life inside the classroom again. Leverette later changed her TikTok handle to ‘Irisa_Darius’.  

“Autism is our life. It is always on my mind,” Leverette said. “I’m always thinking about the future and working to make it better for Darius and individuals like him. This is why I share him with the world. This is why I get on TikTok to spread awareness and acceptance.”

---