Dad gets permanent alphabet tattoo for extremely heartwarming reason and it's all for his son
Dan Harris, a 45-year-old dad of a nonverbal autistic boy had an incredible idea for a tattoo that ensures he and his son can always communicate.
Dan, who hails from Peterborough, is the father of 10-year-old Joshie.
Joshie was diagnosed with autism at two years old and uses an iPad as his 'talker' to communicate simple words and pictures.
When Dan identified that the iPad system, albeit great, ran into some problems - for example, running out of charge or becoming damaged or getting lost - Joshie was left unable to express his feelings.
Advert
That's when Dan came up with an idea.
He booked an appointment with a tattoo artist to have something inked onto his left arm forever that would solve the issue at hand.
The tattoo, which cost £180, is of the alphabet.
Dan said: "Joshie comes into my room and touches my arm first thing in the morning to check the tattoo is still there.
"He's still learning that it's permanent and not going away.
"He can spell out my name, his name, or spell out what he means. He'll point out the letters and build a basic sentence of a few words."
Super dad Dan is also the founder of the charity Neurodiversity in Business, explained more about what led up to the decision.
He said: "Once we were up in Scotland at a beach and the 'talker' had run out of battery.
"We were really sad at how upset Joshie was - he was desperately trying to tell us what he wanted.
"When we got home and charged it, he told us he wanted an ice cream but the moment had passed because we’d left."
Joshie's iPad 'talker' uses augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), something Dan credited with changing his life.
Dan said: "Joshie is a non-speaking autistic boy and when he was younger, he would communicate through physicality and pull you towards what you wanted.
"Before the talker, he would get incredibly frustrated not being able to tell us his desires but now he can.
"We're blown away that his cognitive ability isn't locked up in his head and he can communicate a certain way. It's not replacing his speaking, it's scaffolding it."
Dan's tattoo also functions as a genius way to practice spelling.
Dan explained: "[Joshie] tells us he wants 'ice cream' and he can spell it out on my arm. He is beginning to start bringing those letters together to say the word.
"Even though kids like Joshie may not be able to verbalise, they can spell and they know what they want - they understand."
Dan thanks Joshie for the inspiration needed to set up his charity - which functions as a group of unpaid volunteers who seek to change and improve the life chances of neurodivergent people.
Dan has spoken with prime minister Keir Starmer and been invited to speak on the issue in front of the United Nations in Paris and New York.
Joshie joined Dan to one of the UN meetings and communicated through his 'talker': "I go big city, I go taxi, I have big breakfast."
Previously, Dan has also secured the funding necessary to install 100 communication boards for autistic and other non-verbal people around the area of Peterborough.
Dan said: "There is a real discrimination against disability and for non-speakers, it’s not very well understood.
"As a compassionate society we should be understanding the difference in how the brain operates."
Kya Buller