Makaton

[Hther]

Any of you who use this, where / how did you learn it? I was given booklet by speech therapist but not easy to work out signs from pictures, then given another booklet by children's centre worker with clearer pictures but iits still a bit hard to learn from these.

Also some of the signs are quite different, eg in one booklet, socks and shoes are the same sign, in another they show different signs for these words.

Also I now it will be even harder to learn signs by someone trying to describe the on here but I really need the signs for giraffe, pasta and sandwich? Can anyone help?

I went on a course which I paid for myself at my local college.

Pasta is the 'P' sign (use the index finger on one hand and then make the circle bit with the other hand), then show the shape of the pasta - so long and thin for strips is what we use for spaghetti)

There are a few here - no giraffe or sandwich though, but alot of these are quite helpful every day things.

here.

I think I am getting mixed up between sandwich and chapatti, so dont want to tell you incase its wrong.

you can buy a makaton nursery rhyme dvd by Dave Benson Philips at hmv online.

Sandwich = one hand on top of the other palm (laid flat)together, tap as you say it. As in hands being the bread.

Giraffe= one hand in C shape as though around your throat moving up to make a ling neck

There are also quite a few on the "something special" section of the cbeebies website.

Your speech therapist should be able to get you on a free course thats what ours did. I also use it for my job
Sandwich is as nymphadora said, hands facing in oposite directions palms together and a little tap
Giraffe I though it was the C shape for the neck coming from the base of your neck up to the top of your head and then and you twist your wrist so your hand is facing out with your pinky and index finger pointing out and the rest of the fingers inbetween folded down to form the two horn things they have on their head. That description prob doesnt make much sense lol but hth

Just done a google seach and Justin does a Giraffe sign on this video its near the end of the video Giraffe

hopefully local courses... if you want to buy stuff try 'Forest books' (or Forest bookshop) can get the official MVDP (Makaton Vocab Development Project) materials, (the organisation that 'owns' makaton.) Are you just using signs or symbols too? Makaton originally designed to use signs symbols and speech together but lots of people are just using the signs, or makaton signs and other symbols...

Good Luck!

I did a 2 day makaton course which my speech and language therapist told me about. If u go on the makaton website there is a link for courses and they can send u details.