A little chatterbox

Amelia Marsland Amelia Marsland, 4, has Down's Syndrome. She attends a mainstream nursery school, and will go to a mainstream primary school in September.

Her mother, Laura Marsland, tells her story:

“Makaton has been a major part of our lives since our daughter was 8 months old and it has made all the difference. It has helped us feel empowered and hopeful as regards our daughter and her communication difficulty / delay. We have had, and continue to have, lots of fun with it.

"Amelia gained lots and lots of language in her head before she could speak, and practised it with signs. As a result, she has a lot to say now that she is speaking - and her speech is continually developing. We now have great conversations daily about all sorts: what she has been up to at nursery / who she wants to see / what she wants to do, eat, drink... and more.

"It's amazing how for so long Amelia didn't speak at all but signed along merrily; now we can see and hear the benefits of all that language in her head and hands as it pours from her mouth! Thanks to Makaton we now have a little chatterbox."

May 2007