Training in Makaton and British Sign Language

[streakybacon]

Can anyone point me in the direction of training courses for Makaton and BSL, preferably low cost or free? It's not for a parent but for ds's student tutor - she's aiming to work with children with disabilities and thinks it would be useful to have these skills.

We're in the north east, btw.
TIA.

Have you tried NDCS? www.ndcs.org.uk/

BSL courses are run by signature, here is a link to find one of their centres. Learning BSL level 1 isn't the cheapest, I think about £160 when I did it a few years back and the course ran from september to june. Makaton info here but do check on what signing system is used where she wants to work, signalong is used where I live

Dd2's TA went on a makaton course run by the local slt. Have you asked your slt? I'm sure she would know how/ when the courses run.

Makaton tends to be quite expensive as it's a proprietary brand (think that's the term) but BSL courses are often run by local colleges. I took my BSL stage 1 at the local college which runs adult education courses as well as being a 6th form college. It cost in the region of £100 but was years ago...

I had a Deaf tutor who was the first Deaf adult I had ever met, (not including adults who had become hard of hearing later in life.) She was amazing and the whole experience was an education over and above learning sign language. This was before I had DS2.

Thanks, this is helpful. I'll pass all your suggestions on .

have a look at this , i have a friend who is doing it atm and says its quite good and not expensive either
www.british-sign.co.uk/british-sign-language-bsl/introducing-british-sign-language-online-course/

Looks like a good introduction, Somewhere. Meets the pricing requirements!

My LA no longer use Makaton, and have switched to Signalong. I get very confused...

No reason to be confused. Both Signalong and Makaton use BSL signs but in spoken word order, signing just the key words. You can find some Signalong trainers at www.signalong.org.uk/trainers/documents/Tutorsbyregion.doc
Not all Signalong tutors are listed - some don't want their details on the internet!

Signworld is a new website with BSL learning materials, including a free Lesson One. It currently has BSL Levels 1, 2 and 3; Fingerspelling; Numbers and Colours; and a Medical Specialism. You can find it, including the free lesson, here: www.signworldlearn.com A lot of BSL teachers are now building it into their courses because it means they can set tasks and monitor learners' progress between classes. If you want to know more or find out about possible classes in your area, you can email Signworld - address on the website.

Yes its very useful to have the skills.

We started learning Makaton with Singing Hands DVD, Mr tumble and free local courses run by the council. Some of our volunteers also attended the course.

So i would first check if there are any courses running and if they can slot you in. There may be a small charge for the Books.

Would also help if you have a placement with a family who are also using it. courses are great but you have to use it or you may lose it.

PM here or twitter @AutismMeetup if you need any help :)

Rgs

If you go to the Makaton Charity Website you can look up training courses near you by entering your postcode and the training courses and their prices will pop up. I'm a Highly Specialist SLT and Regional Makaton Tutor in Gloucestershire the person you're referring to needs to do a Foundation course in Makaton where they will learn Stages 1-4 of the Core Vocabulary around 250 signs and symbols. Makaton is a language programme with a symbol for every sign - you always talk and sign and only sign key words and it is the only recognised signing system for What works apart from BSL which is for the deaf and hearing impaired and is a language in its own right. It's important to know whether you are going to be working predominantly with hearing impairment versus communication difficulties and adding to understanding and expression of language and speech.