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Here are some suggested organisations that offer expert advice on special needs.

Original poster

Makaton

30 replies

jenk1 · 10/01/2006 10:35

DD has development delay, she is 21months old but developmentally around 10months, she doesnt speak a lot and doesnt really understand a lot either, someone suggested Makaton signing for her which i would like to try, can someone put me on the right path on how i go about learning it.

TIA

OP posts:
misdee · 10/01/2006 10:40

have you watchted something special on cbeebies? its great, especially for kids with SN as it uses signing as well.

for makaton would you need to contact the HV?OT? not too sure.

Davros · 10/01/2006 10:40

They have a website at www.makaton.org.uk BUT your speech therapist should be able to help you and give you some training. We have training courses for parents where I live that are provided by charities, that might be worth looking at. You could also watch SOmething Special on CBeebies (I'm watching it now!) and Makaton sell a Nursery Rhymes video which is good. Have you considered PECs as well? Not that you should intro both at the same time but I think they each have their role in assisted communication.

misdee · 10/01/2006 10:42

snap davros. need to get the SS DVD's for dd2, as it guarentees me 15mins of silence.

butty · 10/01/2006 10:54

Hi Jenk,

I will be starting a makaton class for dylan in the next few weeks, although i should have started one last year!!!!!!!!
In regards to your dd, don't be fooled by thinking she doesn't understand much!!! I used to think that about dylan who doesn't speak at all but it is far from the truth, he is a very clever little boy that understands everything we say to him!!!
I think the makaton will be hard to start with as we have our own way of which we communicate with dylan!!!
He either points for what he wants or if we ask him if he wants something, we will tell him where it is and he will go and get it!!!
His newest craze is getting his nappies when we ask him to!!!!
It just goes to show that he has speech problems and severe learning difficulties but yet he totally understands!!!
I find it all quite confusing!!!

Butty.xxx

kreamkrackers · 10/01/2006 11:10

my portage worker is teaching me some makaton signing for dd who is 20 months old. she finds it funny still at the moment. hoping she'll start signing back soon. it's very easy to learn (unlike foreign languages!) and we only learn a couple of new signs every week. she gives me laminated cards with the signs on, which i'm sure you'll be able to find the pictures on the net somewhere.

Davros · 10/01/2006 11:15

The thing is to teach your DD the Makaton, not just learn it yourself. You may have to physically help her make the signs and then she gets what she wants, makes learning fast! I have also found that DS's vocab in Makaton is quite limited, I mean it hasn't developed into commenting etc, not because of Makaton but because of his communication disorder. It is quite common for children with ASD, maybe other SNs, to have good receptive language and poor expressive, esp if they haven't been taught any way to express themselves. Keep it simple though, our ABA team were trying to teach DS all sorts of signs and working on him making them properly when he had no use for them... I put a stop to that, what I mean is Keep It Functional! Good luck, its fun.

butty · 10/01/2006 11:23

Davros,

I am finding it hard to teach dylan the signs that we know already.
I have been doing them persistently for the past year and as of yet he has never comunicated back with one????
Although i have to bear in mind that he has only just learnt how to clap his hands and put his thumbs up so i have a funny feeling that the whole thing is going to be a very long process as he also has processing delays!!!

Any advises you think could help would be much appreciated.

Butty.xxx

tobysmumkent · 10/01/2006 11:26

Message withdrawn

SleepyJess · 10/01/2006 11:29

Hi Jenk

May I suggest you buy this video post haste? It's Dave Benson Phillips (kids tv presenter) on a farm with children and Makaton signing all the way through with songs and nursery rhymes.

DS taught himself some Makaton from watching this, long before we got anyone to believe he was capable of it! Makaton is great.. it works with speech, not instead of it (so is different to BSL). I have only done a one hour course myself.. but brought home lots of printed info and learnt more from that.. taught it to DS1, DH and DD (NT) the same afternoon and at which point we realised just how much and how often DS had been signing without us realising. (They ALL learn it at school.. mainstream.)

We are on our second Dave video DS wore the first one out!

SJ x

eidsvold · 10/01/2006 11:39

butty it is important to acknowledge even in the vicinity... eg dd1's finished - which is thumb up and moving the wrist - move it from side to side - now dd1 does not make the thumbs up sign - never has - for going on almost two years but she does move her hand from side to side so while I do hand on hand I still accept that iyswim. Two years of more which here in Aus is a fingers spread and bent on chest moving hand outwards - and dd is finally no longer just tapping her chest she is putting her hand in the position.

we have been lucky to do a makaton course here in Aus.

jenk1 - i started with more, eat and drink, and I think bed and we went from there....

Original poster
jenk1 · 10/01/2006 14:31

Sleepy jess that looks really good but we dont have a vhs just dvd,s i had a quick look on amazon but couldnt see it on dvd, do you know anywhere else that sells is?

Didnt realise that portage would do Makaton, they are coming next week to assess dd so will ask about it then.

Thanks everyone for your replies they,re really helpful

OP posts:
emmalou78 · 10/01/2006 15:55

We learnt a few basic makaton signs from our SALT and you can do courses.

You need ot contact the MVDP for details of your nearest tutor
tey're www.makaton.org.uk

you can also download an order form and purchase items direct from them, they are, so far as I know the only people selling DVDs [or VHS] of 'something special'.

sphil · 11/01/2006 21:11

Have you tried the 'Sing and Sign' video too? It's meant to be signing for babies, but my 3yr old ASD son loves it.

jojo37 · 12/01/2006 14:07

We are doing the sing and sign at the moment. My DS is 22 months, but has problems with his hearing. We started at xmas and he has already picked up a handful of signs - he can tell me if he wants more, or his nappy changing and a few animals names too. He is soooo proud of himself when he makes me understand what he means. I plan to start with DD asap.
I would totaly recomend it.
Jo

Original poster
jenk1 · 12/01/2006 16:01

where can i buy the sing and sign dvd from?

TIA

OP posts:
Davros · 12/01/2006 16:26

If you are likely to use signing long or even medium term, make sure Sing and Sign is compatible with Makaton or Signalong, whichever you choose. You don't want to have to re-teach signs at some point and cause more confusion than necessary.

heartinthecountry · 12/01/2006 20:27

Hiya - I echo what tobysmum says about keeping going. I signed with dd for about a year at least before she signed back. Her first sign was 'more' too. Once she realised that she could communicate in this way there has been no stopping her. Infact, the only thing that prevents her learning signs is that I haven't learnt them in order to teach her!

She is now 3 and can sign about 40-50 words and understands loads more. She will also sign short 2 word sentences (usually 'more cake'!). It has definitely definitely aided both her expressive and receptive language. Considering she has severe learning disabilities our communication is great.

I have mostly learnt from Something Special and from using the Pocket Signs books that makaton.org sell. They aren't cheap but being able to communicate with dd is priceless .

beep · 12/01/2006 20:44

I have a copy of the Dave Benson Phillips video if any one can use it, cat me

jojo37 · 13/01/2006 13:40

You can get the dvds or videos from

www.singandsign.com

I should have a look on e-bay as well as i have seen them on there in the past.

Hope you get on as well as we have. DS yesterday picked up the sign for pig!

Jo

bubbarico · 13/01/2006 23:28

Hi I have a 5year old with downs syndrome. I went on 3 workshops for makaton arranged by speech therapist when t was 8 months old. he didn't sign back until he was 22months old but we just persevered and when he did start there was no stopping him. He still uses signs sometimes when he wants to make himself understood and we can't understand what he is saying. You can now buy the something special dvd from makaton org.

getbakainyourjimjams · 13/01/2006 23:39

Makaton are releasing a baby signing course to do from home in the next month or so, they'll have the details. Sing and sign is slightly different.

mulsey · 14/01/2006 22:31

Goodness, I dont know where we would be without Makaton! Weve signed since my daughter was a baby, but I feel that its only in the past year that shes started to sign back - and now, I cant stop her, Im even sure that she makes up signs!!!So do keep at it - good luck

peachygirl · 15/01/2006 19:49

Hi
I?m a Makaton tutor and I am so pleased to see it being spoken about so positively.
I agree with lots of what is being said here. The DBP video is great and so is Something special.
Do contact Makaton thorough the website or ring them they will be able to put you in touch with a regional tutor in you area and you may be able to go on a course for free, certainly where I live parents don?t have to pay.
You must remember that Makaton has to be learnt and as the other posts say this can take many months for children to pick it up and respond with signing.
Makaton also have symbols too
The website has a parent?s forum too
The books are good too.
I would be wary of some of the other publications as they may feature American signing which is not the same as British.

chelltune · 15/08/2007 23:28

There is a wide range of Makaton products for children on the market, see here.

Phraedd · 29/08/2007 21:26

my salt sent me on a makaton course to help my DS2 (3). He has verbal dyspraxia and has picked up signs from me and something special although his speech has improved imensly thanks to out fantastic therapist and lots of homework sheets (nuffield ones)