How Makaton works

"I wish I could adequately describe the look of delight and relief on his face the first time he signed and I was able to understand him."

Talking does not just involve speaking. Watch someone talking, they will not just be saying words but they will also be using hand movements or gestures, facial expression, eye contact and body language (posture and movement). All this is communication.

Makaton uses speech and gesture, facial expression, eye contact and body language. It is a language programme which is based on a selected list of everyday words, such as Daddy , Door , Fall and In .

Makaton uses speech together with a sign (gesture) and/ or a symbol (picture), for example:


sleep	sleep	where?	where?

With Makaton, signs are used with speech in spoken word order. Using signs can help people who have no speech or whose speech is unclear.

Symbols can be used to support communication in many different ways. Using symbols can help people who have limited speech and those who cannot or prefer not to sign.

Why use Makaton?

Signs and symbols give extra information which can be seen. Research has shown that signs and gestures are easier to learn than spoken words. This makes sense. Babies use gestures before they can speak, to tell us what they want, for example pointing at the biscuit tin or holding out arms to be lifted up. Makaton can help if a child or adult has difficulties with understanding and speaking. Through Makaton, they are able to develop important communication skills.

If a child has to rely on speech development alone, these vital skills may not develop properly: eye contact, turn taking, making choices, understanding, and sharing information.

Children and adults who have difficulty understanding and speaking often become frustrated or withdrawn. Young children may communicate this through behaviours such as screaming and kicking; older children and adults may shout or hurt themselves. By using Makaton, we are helping them to communicate in a more acceptable way.

Will Makaton stop my child from speaking?

Experience and research indicate that using gestures or signs promotes and stimulates speech development. It is very important that you use speech together with signs and symbols.

What is a symbol?

A symbol is a picture used to represent a word. The picture representation is simple and easy to remember, for example:


	bus

When do you use symbols?

Symbols are used when a child or adult has difficulty with hand movements making signing inaccurate or impossible. Symbols are also used to develop reading and language skills.

How many signs and symbols do you start with?

It is important that only a few signs andsymbols are used at the beginning. These will be the most important ones for the child or adult with communication difficulties. They will be chosen by the people who know the child or adult best. As they learn, more words will need to be introduced.

Remember...

Using Makaton is fun.
Makaton should be used in every aspect of the Makaton user's day.
Always speak as you sign or use symbols and encourage any attempt at speech.
At first it may be necessary to help move the Makaton user's arms and hands to make the signs or point to the symbols.
It may take a while to learn to use signs and symbols but don't give up. It will be worth it in the end.