Starbucks barista with autism dances his way into hearts of millions

A Canadian teen with a movement disorder has become known as the "dancing barista" after charming customers at the Starbucks where he works with the dance he uses to accommodate his disorder. Now that teen has a message to share with the millions who have watched him dance online.

Sam, a 17-year-old from Toronto, has autism in addition to the movement disorder. He hopes the popularity of his dancing spreads a positive message about people with special needs.

"People with autism do not want to be looked at with sympathy, so I would say to anyone please, please, please keep an open mind about what people with special needs can do," Sam said in a press release.

The story of the dancing barista began when Sam attended a coffee tasting as part of a summer camp, Starbucks wrote. He developed a dream of becoming a barista and was hired by Starbucks about three months ago. Because Sam loves dancing so much, Sam's manager, Chris, helped him incorporate dancing into the preparation of drinks to help control his movements.

"A lot of his training in making the drinks, we go through routines, and we found that when Sam is dancing, he's able to concentrate, to go through those steps of building a drink," Chris told Toronto's Breakfast Television.

A video of his dancing posted over the weekend has been viewed more than 50 million times thanks to the charisma of Sam, who hopes to become an actor someday. In the video, Sam jams out to the music, showing off a variety of moves like the "Whip/Nae Nae," all while preparing the customer's drink. At the end, he hands off his creation with a big smile.

The video was originally shared by Canadian author and autism advocate Carly Fleischmann, a friend of Sam's who also has autism. Carly wrote that Chris' encouragement helped Sam develop the confidence he needed to dance as he does now.

"Sam never thought he would be able to work behind the bar, but his manager, Chris, believed in him," she wrote. "If it wasn't for Chris believing in Sam he would of never believed in himself."

Now Sam has an encouraging message for others with autism.

"Have hope, and have faith, that you, as a special needs person, can also thrive and live up to your potential," he told Breakfast Television.