One fathers surprising way to help his autistic son communicate

Dan Harris, a father from Peterborough in Cambridgeshire has found a unique way to help his son, Joshie, communicate with him. Joshie, 10, was diagnosed with ASD at age 2, and uses an iPad for communication, known as his "talker". Using an app, words and pictures to help him communicate in a system known as augmentative and alternative communication, or AAC for short.

However, Dan has had the alphabet tattooed on his arm, a method he says has been useful.

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."

An AAC can be a revolutionary way to help non-verbal children communicate, and begin to understand language in a way that allows them to express their needs more effectively. "It's transformed his life", Dan said. "Before the talker, he would get incredibly frustrated not being able to tell us his desires but now he can". However, the problem with AAC's is that it relies on battery powered devices like the iPad. When it runs out of battery, or becomes damaged or lost, the communication method is lost — that's where the tattoo comes in handy. "Previously he would communicate through physicality, and pull you towards what he wanted", said Dan. "He tells us he wants 'ice cream' and he can spell it out on my arm."

Joshie's inspiration has led Dan to found the Neurodiversity in Business charity, led by unpaid volunteers whose goal is to transform the lives of neurodivergent people. Dan has even spoke with Prime Minister, Keir Starmer and was invited to a UN meeting in Paris, and New York to speak about the issues facing the neurodiverse. Taking along Joshie, who used his talker to say "I go big city, I go taxi, I go breakfast". No stranger to battling for the neurodiverse, Dan previously secured £6000 to install 100 analog AAC communication boards around Peterborough.

"There is a real discrimination against disability and for non-speakers, it's not very well understood. When Joshie and I were at a communication board, a woman told us they shouldn't be here as they were ruining nature. Does Joshie not have a right to be there and be able to communicate?"

"As a compassionate society we should be understanding the difference in how the brain operates. Joshie would love to have more ice cream and it is on the tip of his tongue. It is a difference in the way his brain develops it's not that he won't say it, he can't."

Do you know a neurodivergent person in your family? AAC boards are a revolutionary way to help non-verbal children communicate. Did you know Proloquo2Go is £250? You can also now download Proloquo, which comes with a 30 day free trial and can be paid for monthly at just £8.99, which I think is a much easier entryway into AAC, and might allow people that don't have £250 to spare the ability to help their child discover better communicative methods using AAC.