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Peterborough, England, father, Dan Harris, has taken his dedication to his son to a whole new level. A couple of weeks ago, Harris got a tattoo of the alphabet on his forearm so his non-verbal son, Joshie, would always be able to communicate with him. The 10-year-old, who has autism, uses an iPad called his "talker," to spell words and communicate, but when the device runs out of battery, the tattoo serves as a backup. Joshie touches the tattoo to spell out simple sentences by pointing at the letters.
He was diagnosed with autism at age two and had difficulty expressing his needs before learning to use the talker. Harris explains that the tattoo also helps Joshie practice spelling and is there to make sure they can communicate even in situations where his talker is unavailable. He’s learned to spell words and build basic sentences using the tattoo.
Inspired by Joshie, Harris founded the Neurodiversity in Business charity to advocate for neurodivergent individuals. He has spoken with Prime Minister Keir Starmer and at the United Nations on the topic. The family has also worked on installing communication boards in public spaces to support non-verbal individuals.
Source: CAMBRIDGE NEWS