- Jessica Fletcher tattooed a keyboard on her arm for her nonverbal autistic son Hunter
- Hunter's AAC device ran out of battery, prompting the need for a backup communication method
- The tattoo includes letters, happy and sad faces, and an "I heart you" button
A mother's simple idea to help her son communicate has gone viral on social media. Jessica Fletcher tattooed a keyboard on her arm so her 11-year-old nonverbal autistic son, Hunter, would always have another way to express himself. The idea came after an everyday family problem while Jessica was out eating with Hunter. His Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) device, a tablet that allows him to select words and symbols, suddenly ran out of battery, reported NYPost.
Jessica was distressed by the situation, but Hunter remained completely calm. He took a napkin, drew a keyboard on it, and then pointed to the letters to let his mother know what he wanted to order.
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She realised her son needed a backup method of communication-one that would never run out of battery.
Subsequently, with the help of a tattoo artist, Jessica got a keyboard tattooed on her arm. In addition to the letters, the design included "happy" and "sad" face icons, and an "I heart you" button.
When Jessica showed Hunter her new tattoo, the first word he typed was "Mama."
This tattoo has alleviated many of the communication challenges between mother and son. When they are together, Hunter can convey his thoughts by tapping the keyboard on Jessica's arm.
Jessica posted a video on Facebook showing Hunter communicating via the keyboard tattoo on her arm.
Hunter's school friends have also expressed a desire for shirts featuring the keyboard design.
Subsequently, Jessica collaborated with a clothing company to create shirts featuring a keyboard print on the sleeves.
She noted that parents, nurses, doctors, and first responders from around the world have reached out to her, hoping to use this concept to help autistic children in their schools, hospitals, and families.
Many tattoo artists have also offered to create similar keyboard tattoos for parents free of charge.
Jessica stated that she would do it all over again for her son. She said that if acquiring a thousand marks on her body could give Hunter another way to express himself, she would be ready to do it.
