Dad has alphabet tattooed on his arm for adorable reason, and now others are doing the same

The dad of a non-speaking, autistic boy who had the alphabet tattooed on his arm to help communicate with him says other parents are planning to do the same.

Dan Harris, 45, had the £180 tattoo completed on his left forearm three weeks ago after he became concerned that son Joshie, 11, can't always tell him what he wants. Joshie, who was diagnosed with autism when he was two years old, uses an iPad, also known as his 'talker', to communicate his needs using simple words and pictures.

However Dan said the iPad can run out of charge or become damaged or lost which means that Joshie is left without the means to express his feelings. Now dad Dan has said he has been approached by other parents around the world who want a similar tattoo.

Dan, from Peterborough, Cambs, said: "I've had people both locally and internationally reach out me and say they'd like to get the same.

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"Maybe a dozen people globally are talking about doing it. Joshie is spelling out his name and our names too. He also spelt out 'I want ice cream' when he wasn't eating his dinner and wasn't telling us why.

"He uses it all the time. Every day I've been at home he has come into my bedroom and looked to see if it's still there."

Dan, who is the founder of the charity Neurodiversity in Business, said Joshie's 'talker' running out of battery was becoming an issue as it was with him all the time. He explained: "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