Makaton – Supporting Language Learning

Makaton – supporting language learning Karen.Donnelly @Lincolnshire.gov.uk Makaton is… • A way to teach children and adults to speak using signs, symbols and speech • Not a sign language, it is not designed for deaf children and adults • Does have signs taken from British Sign Language • For all children and ages • Not just for children and adults with complex special needs or disabilities • Easy to learn, because you already speak English! • It will not stop children learning to speak!!! Essential Features of Makaton • Core vocabulary – approximately 450 words/concepts • Resource vocabulary – 11000+ words/concepts • Used with speech, signs and or symbols • Flexible teaching methods Core Vocabulary Stages: 1. Immediate needs and establishing interaction 2. Home, familiar people, objects, food, events, activities 3. Outside world, animals, fruit, vehicles, actions, attributes, locatives, pronouns 4. School, work, objects people, events, activities, pronouns, spatial locations 5. The community, people, places, activities, interests, events, objects, attributes, feelings 6. The wider world, places, thinking and knowing, attributes, pronouns, prepositions 7. Number, time, weather, quantity, money 8. Leisure interests, feelings, causal relationships Makaton Symbols Makaton Signs drink shower toilet Symbols and Sign Graphics • Every sign has a graphic showing how it is produced with the hand /body • Every sign has an iconic symbol that represents the concept – makes the concept concrete • These can be used to help teach signs or as an alternative way to communicate (like PECS) • Written Makaton like signed Makaton can be adapted to suit the cognitive level of the communicator. • 3 main levels – functional, key word or full grammatical. Three Levels of Communication. 1. Functional The man is eating an orange. Sign eat 2. Key word The man is eating an orange. Sign man, eat, orange 3. Full grammar The man is eating an orange. Sign all – finger spell ‘ing’ ending for eating and ‘an’ Sign Production Techniques • Directionality – e.g. sign ‘go out the door’ • Placement – e.g. sign ‘children’ and tell them where to ‘sit’ • Movement - e.g. sign ‘driving to supermarket from home’ • Size – e.g. ‘give’ a small and then large object • Emphasis - e.g. sign ‘good’ and ‘very good’ • Time – e.g. sign ‘before’ and ‘after’, ‘past’ • Left/right handed – try to stick to one! Finger Spelling with Makaton • Limited use in Makaton – can help to fill gaps in sign knowledge or specialised vocabulary • Some are also signs within the core vocabulary e.g. mummy, father, television • Useful as a way of shortening names - Karen is ‘k’ or Lincoln ‘l’ until more fluent How babies learn to speak… • Babies naturally sign and gesture to ask for hugs or milk etc. • They put babble sounds together with gesture – Dada for a hug. • Toddlers put 2 signs together and then 2 words. • Late talkers produce more gestures more frequently than average children of the same age. • Baby talk from adults exaggerates word gaps, rhythm and pitch – where’s the ball?! – so does Makaton. Over 50% of communication is non-verbal. We support speech with: • Facial expression • Body language • Gesture • Eye gaze • Feelings – emotional expression – tone • Encouragement – nodding etc. • Shared knowledge and experience • Use of props/environment. Makaton helps us make better use of these skills Where to start… • What words/concepts does your child need most? • Stage 1 words – meeting basic needs – family, food, simple verbs, home objects. • Start with real objects – toys - pictures and then symbols. • Role model signing/speaking all the time – don’t worry if they don’t join in straight away. • Introduce through play – give hands free time during and after to sign. Home Dolls and doll’s house furniture are a good way to play and teach home vocabulary. Food Plastic food and tea sets are a good way to introduce food, cutlery and vocabulary such as eat, drink, thirsty, hungry, more, yes, no, dirty, clean, hot and cold etc. Small World Toys Role play is a good way to introduce situation specific vocabulary around trips to the doctors, zoo, café etc. Books Verbs – increase vocabulary Nursery Rhymes and Songs • Lots of examples on the Makaton website – Pussy Cat, Old Macdonald etc. All free! • Lots of examples on Youtube – Dave Benson Phillips, Melody Signs, Singing Hands, Down’s Syndrome Awareness -car karaoke. • Make up your own – you don’t need to know all the signs. Useful Websites • www.makaton.org • www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/grownups/makaton • www.singinghands.co.uk • www.mychoicepad.com • www.youtube.com • Apps – ‘Mychoicepad’ • Contact ECLIPS – • [email protected] • Makaton training can be accessed via me and Edulincs.

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