What is Makaton?

Makaton is a language programme that uses signs and symbols to help people communicate. It’s designed to support spoken language: signs are used alongside speech, in the same order.

It is used extensively across the UK and has been adapted in over 50 countries.

Makaton's popularity has grown enormously since it was first developed in the 1970s. The BBC's Something Special Mr Tumble has demonstrated that signing is great fun and a brilliant skill to learn.

Makaton symbols and signs are matched to all the concepts in the vocabularies to be used with speech, the written word or on their own.

This multi-modal approach has been shown to increase opportunities for an individual's personal expression and development, participation in interaction and building social skills. This leads to increased accessibility to education, training and public information & community participation.

Makaton is extremely flexible as it can be personalised to an individual's needs and used at a level suitable for them.

Today in the UK over 100,000 children and adults, use Makaton symbols and signs to support their communication and ensure their voices are heard.

While the pandemic has created huge challenges for many of us, it has allowed Makaton Tutors to reach people who previously struggled to access training, advice, support and opportunities to practice their skills. The online Makaton community continues to go from strength to strength, spreading our inclusive communication message which is great for Makaton users based in the UK and beyond!