Jessica Fletcher got a tattoo on her autistic son's arm to talk to him

Jessica Fletcher, Canadian, has an 11-year-old son, Hunter, autistic and non-speaking. To communicate, Hunter normally uses a communication device augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), a sort of tablet through which he can select letters, words and symbols.

One day, Jessica and Hunter were out for dinner. Just as they were about to order, Hunter's device died because it had run out of battery . To help him, Jessica handed him a piece of paper and tried to write the alphabet. But Hunter had a different idea: he turned the paper over and drew a QWERTY keyboard himself , just like a computer keyboard. Then he began pointing to the letters with his finger to spell out what he wanted to say. For Jessica, it was a revelation: she understood that she couldn't depend exclusively on technology , because sooner or later a battery can die, a device can break, or simply become unavailable. So she had a truly unique idea: to get a keyboard tattooed on her forearm.

The tattoo features a keyboard with letters and also includes some symbols, including smiley faces and a button to say "I love you." This way, when Hunter needs to, he can literally "type" on his mom's arm , tapping the letters one after the other. When Jessica showed him the finished tattoo, Hunter took his arm and started "typing."

The first word he composed was: Mom.

The tattoo isn't just useful when the tablet isn't working . Hunter's device can speak his selections aloud; by using Jessica's arm, however, he can communicate silently and more privately , for example, without everyone around him hearing what he's saying. In fact, in some cases, mother and son prefer to talk through the tattoo even when the voice translator is working perfectly. The device's volume allows for easy communication, but also lets everyone nearby hear what Hunter is saying. By touching Jessica's arm, however, the discussion remains private.

On social media Jessica often shares moments of everyday life, sharing her son's progress and inviting her community to network and support all children with autism.