Her non-verbal son's communication device failed, so he drew a keyboard. She tattooed it on her arm
Jessica Fletcher wrote the whole alphabet on a paper, but Hunter was frustrated by the way the letters were arranged, so he drew his own
Communication can take many forms, especially when words are not an option. Jessica Fletcher and her son Hunter went to a restaurant for breakfast. Before he could order, his device died. Since he was autistic and nonverbal, Fletcher wrote down the alphabet so he could spell what he wanted, but it didn't work. Frustrated, he took the pen and paper from her and drew a keyboard layout to spell what he wanted to eat. The moment she saw it, Fletcher said it was an "Aha!" moment. She knew what she needed to do next. This Morning (@thismorning) shared the story on September 1, 2026, and it received 736,000 views, 14,500 likes, and 414 comments.
Another way to communicate
When Hunter's device died, Fletcher asked the waiter for a pen and paper. She wrote the whole alphabet on it, but Hunter was frustrated by the way the letters were arranged. He took the pen and paper and drew something he was familiar with: a keyboard layout. The moment Fletcher saw it, she was committed to turning it into a tattoo. However, before getting inked, she spoke to her family about it. Some were concerned it would not look great when she got older. Fletcher responded, "Yeah, that's true, but that's not the purpose. If I can give my son another way to communicate, that's everything."
Private conversations
Fletcher also said her new tattoo became a way of communicating with her son privately. When he used his device, the entire room would hear him. She said, "This is the first time that he's had the ability to speak to me privately, and it's weird that I never thought of that before...I think it's important that people can be able to speak privately, especially children to their parents. So this has been a whole game changer."
No regrets here
People get tattoos for a variety of reasons. A 2023 Pew Research Center survey found that 69% of Americans with tattoos chose their tattoo to honor someone or something, 47% got it to make a statement, while 32% did it for the looks. In Fletcher's case, it was less about the aesthetic appeal and more about giving her son a different way of talking to her. Besides, Hunter’s reliance on an alternative way to communicate is far from unusual. Research suggests that around 25% to 30% of autistic children remain minimally verbal beyond age five, making access to reliable communication methods especially important.
Tattoo with a story
People praised Fletcher for getting the keyboard tattoo for her son. @roxanne_mckee commented, "This is beautiful, and the tattoo and the memories of all the little finger taps will be the sweetest gift in old age. It’s so special. Wonderful mother." @angelinaballerina_0 added, "Absolutely amazing! Another example of mothers going above and beyond for your children! 'Caring' about how the tattoo looks is a typical society-led question, but this was a necessity. This is genius, and this is a mother's solution, a mother's magic in finding a way to communicate with her son, never giving up. I love it! Well done!"
More on Scoop Upworthy
Mom asks her autistic son to make a birthday wish — his innocent 5-word response broke her heart
Share on Facebook
