What is the difference between Makaton and other sign and symbol systems?
Sign and symbol systems are used as either alternatives to spoken and written language, or as support where a child or adult has either very limited or little or no effective speech and written skills. There are a variety of sign-only systems and symbol-only systems that provide a means to communicate. Sign systems provide standardised manual gestures that have either been specifically devised to represent speech or have evolved spontaneously. Symbol systems provide pictorial representations of speech and written words, specifically devised to represent speech and written words. The Makaton Programme takes signs from British Sign Language (BSL) and uniquely designed Makaton Symbols, and arranges them to match the spoken and written sequence of English. Makaton is unique because it combines signs, symbols, and speech to provide multi-modal communication – and has a comprehensive approach to support its use.
