first salt today- any experience with makaton advice needed

[hungryhippo21]

ds1 (2.6)had his first salt session today. the salt wants to start him on makaton. He got quite upset at not getting want he wanted straight away- he was learning 'more'.
He seemed to understand to get something he had to nake the hand sign he couldnt copy it exactly and when he did it he got what he wanted (and mummy and daddy were getting very excited)When we got home we did a little more practice he now knows more is a certain sign i asked him how do you say more not expecting any response but he showed me. we also practiced at bedtime - this is the only time he really copies movements and to get more stories he was signing when i said it or showed him the sign. What I am unsure of is (and i know its too soon but i will worry if i dont know) how do i go from knowing he wants more and prompting him to him doing for himself. Do i leave longer gaps and wait for him or do i go to just saying it, just signing it ?? dont want to piss our new salt off by keepin ringing her
Also the little angel went in 2 seconds after being shown teddy eating a banana fed teddy with all the food used the cutlery and cooked something in the pan. He has never ever done anything like that before the nearest he gets to playing with pretend food etc is throwing it or kicking it. She was saying his pretend play skills are quite good i'm trying to explain he does do that ever and i will bet he only does it with her as well while for my sins i just get a teddy lobbed at my head at random intervals

Something Special dvds from BBC are great.
Makaton can reinforce language as well as replace for those unable to speak. I was told always to speak AND sign at the same time.
I would get into a routine of always signing everytime you say the word, keeping to the vocab of signs the SALT has given you and gradually increasing. Some kids take longer than others to do the signs themselves.
Good Luck

Well he sounds like he's picking it up quickly, clever boy.

I'd actually move away from more asap. Because its a generic 'gets me anything I want' sign it means children often don't bother to learn over the signs once if they have more first (made this mistake myself with NT ds3 who would sign more more more more more more more more all the way round the supermarket. DIfferent nouns would have been better. Might be better to start with nouns then add more later.

agree with LGL about making sure you always say the word as well. I would say yes, keep leaving the gaps to give him the chance to think of it himself before prompting him - then eventually once you are pretty sure he can do it spontaneously without cues, don't give him more until he signs it.

dont give up if he seems not to be copying or paying attention took my ds 18 months before hestarted signing hes 3.8 months with g and non verbal and autistic traits, but hes nowtaking of has about 30 signs

DS4's first sign was also "more". He tends to make up sih=gns of his own too, that are similar to the real ones, like a sort of cake/ciscuit sign and one for tea.

He has been learning makaton for nearly two years now and still needs lots of encouragment to sign and niot shout at me. He is at a ms preschool where they don't sign very much. I hope next year, if he gets into the special school he will sign a lot more.

thanks for that , will def try nouns as you say more cam mean anything more food, tickles, jumping on daddy, more throwing things whilst reading your posts was imaging him throwing things signing more giving me a big grin then carrying on. The salt told us sign for banana any ideas where i would get some info on the signs - mostly for fruit as that seems to be the only thing he really likes.
Was proud of him yesterday for starting to do it didnt realise how hard some of you have had to work to get your dc to sign - very proud mummy indeed
He did watch something special this morning normally he isnt interested but he was having his breakfast at the time i was hoping justin would sign more but he didnt

your salt should have explained that children will start with an approximation of the sign - more is actually a little difficult in the UK compared with our aussie more. You continue saying the word and doing the sign correctly.

As time goes on your ds will refine his sign, words and sign may come next and then just words.

I practised with yoghurt - dd1's all time favourite food and we did it spoonful at a time. You got no more yoghurt until you did something vaguely resembling the sign. I think dd1 started with just tapping her arm rather than hand on fist for more. As time went on it was more refined and then we got to Aus and learnt that more is signed totally differently

My dd1 although very verbal still uses makaton to explain herself at times and just to reinforce what she is saying. Dd2 and 3 learnt makaton - generally because dd1 was and we just use it at home. They sign every now and then too.

I think if he is doing a consistent thing for more than you have to reward it. We moved very quickly to more eat/drink - and then please and thank you ( some not think important but important in our house) Bed and bath were next.

we also added in finished. She could ask for more but she could also say finished when she had had enough.

So in the large post

More
eat
drink
bed
bath
play

then we moved on to specifics - table, chair, animals

things like animals we learnt through singing old macdonald

Definitely sign for the things he likes. Things which are very reinforcing tend to be picked up easily.

Ask your local sn school or sn pre-school about makaton courses - ours runs them free for parents and carers, and they're usually welcoming to parents of newcomers to.

Great advice on here.
I'm a salt too. Use a lot of Makaton.
Have a look at their website too for more resources.
Some is pricey but has to be as it is a charity.