Understanding Makaton: A Family Guide to Supporting Communication

Note: all names have been changed in order to protect the individuals' privacy.

So, there I was at the school gate last Tuesday, watching my friend Sarai's four-year-old Jamie confidently signing "thank you" to the crossing guard, and I realized I had absolutely no clue what I was looking at. Sarai caught my confused expression and laughed. "It's Makaton," she said, like that explained everything. Spoiler alert: it didn't.

Three months later, after Jamie helped my son communicate that he needed the toilet during a playdate (using signs I finally understood), I'm officially a convert. But let me back up and explain what the heck Makaton actually is, because chances are you're as lost as I was.

What Is Makaton, Really?

Here's the thing—Makaton isn't some complicated system you need a degree to understand. It's basically a way of using your hands and face along with your voice to help people communicate better. My mate Emma, who's a teaching assistant, explained it to me like this: "You know how you naturally gesture when you talk? Makaton is just making those gestures more intentional and useful."

The whole thing started back in the 1970s when three speech therapists, Margaret Walker, Kathy Johnston, and Tony Cornforth, got fed up with watching kids struggle to communicate basic needs. They created a system that focuses on the words we actually use most often.^[1] Not fancy vocabulary, just the essentials like "more," "help," "finished," and "toilet." Basically, the words that can make or break a toddler's entire day.^[2]

What shocked me was learning that these 450-ish core words apparently make up about 80% of everything we say. Makes sense when you think about it, because how often do you actually use the word "antidisestablishmentarianism" compared to "please"?

Wait, Is Makaton Sign Language?

Good lord, I felt stupid asking this question, but Sarai was brilliant about it. "No, it's totally different," she said (though I do paraphrase). "BSL, that's British Sign Language, is like learning French. It's got its own grammar, its own rules, its own culture. Makaton is more like... learning to point really well."

I did know that people in the deaf community use British Sign Language as their actual language. It's got this beautiful, complex grammar that's nothing like English. But Makaton? That's new to me! With Makaton, you're still speaking English, just adding hand movements to help get your point across. It's what the professionals call "augmentative and alternative communication," which sounds very fancy for "helping people talk better."

My elderly neighbor Carol, whose grandson has Down syndrome, put it perfectly: "We're not replacing his words, we're just giving him more ways to use them." The kid's seven now and barely needs the signs anymore, but boy did they help when he was smaller.

How Communication Difficulties Affect Families

Every parent has experienced the frustration of not understanding what their child needs. Now imagine that frustration amplified when your child has a condition like a learning disability, hearing loss, or something else that makes communication extra challenging. The meltdowns, the trial-and-error guessing, the heartbreak of not being able to help because you just don’t know what they’re trying to say—it can be overwhelming for both parents and children.

Communication challenges can arise from many different causes. Developmental delays might make it hard for a child to learn language. A brain injury can affect how speech sounds are formed. Hearing impairments can make understanding spoken words difficult. And conditions like autism can change how social communication works. For families facing these obstacles, traditional speech and language approaches often aren’t enough.

That’s where Makaton makes a difference. It doesn’t rely on perfect hearing or the ability to clearly pronounce words. A child who struggles to speak can use their hands to share their thoughts. A teenager with learning disabilities can communicate complex feelings using a mix of signs, symbols, and any words they can say. Makaton opens up new possibilities, giving families a way to connect when words alone don’t work.

Actually Learning Makaton: Getting Started

Right, so you're probably wondering how to learn Makaton without making a complete fool of yourself. Good news—it's nowhere near as intimidating as I thought it would be. Unlike learning a completely new language, Makaton's focus on core vocabulary means you can start making a difference in communication quite quickly.

The official Makaton Charity offers tips, tricks, and informational aids straight from the pros in their free Makaton Library. There are online options too, which is handy if you're like me and can't commit to anything that happens before 10 AM.

But honestly? Just start small. Pick ten signs that would actually be useful in your house. Sarai taught me "more," "finished," "help," "toilet," "please," and "thank you" in about fifteen minutes while the kids ran around the garden. Nothing fancy, just practical stuff that makes life easier.^[3]

The thing that surprised me most is how quickly kids pick it up when they see it at nursery or school. My son came home last week signing "good morning" to the cat. I had no idea he'd learned it, but apparently his teacher's been incorporating Makaton into circle time. Kids are like sponges—they just absorb it.

It's Not Just About the Hands

Here's something I didn't expect: Makaton is big on facial expressions. Makes total sense when you think about it though. You naturally raise your eyebrows when you ask a question, right? You smile when you're happy, frown when you're confused. Makaton just makes that part of the official communication.

There's also a symbols bit to Makaton that I'm still getting my head around. They're not just random pictures: they're specially designed symbols that can help kids move from understanding concepts to actually reading and writing later on. Pretty clever, really.

Different Families, Different Needs

What I love about Makaton is how flexible it is. Take my partner's friend Mark, for example. His son has profound learning disabilities and will probably use Makaton his whole life as his main way of communicating. Then there's Aimee's daughter, who used it as a bridge while her speech developed and barely needs it now at age six.

The deaf community has British Sign Language, which is this beautiful, complete language with its own culture and everything. Makaton doesn't try to compete with that, because it's doing something completely different. It's giving people options, extra tools in their communication toolbox, with Makaton drawing adaptive signs from BSL rather than it's specific and unique grammar.

Watching Confidence Grow

The absolute best part of this whole Makaton thing is watching kids light up when they realize they can make themselves understood. Sarai's son Jamie was so frustrated before he could sign; he knew what he wanted, but couldn't get it across. Now he's this confident little boy who knows he can communicate with pretty much anyone.

It's not just the kids, either. Sarai told me she feels so much more relaxed now that she can understand what Jamie needs. "Before, I was constantly stressed, trying to guess what was wrong," she said. "Now when he signs 'hurt' and points to his tummy, I know exactly what's going on."

Even the siblings get involved. Jamie's big sister learned the signs so she could help translate, and now she's like his little interpreter when they're playing with kids who don't know Makaton. It's brought the whole family together in this really sweet way.

Where We're Heading

The coolest thing about all this is how normal Makaton is becoming. I was watching CBeebies with my son last week, and one of the presenters was using signs during the songs.^[4] My son didn't even comment on it—to him, it's just how some people talk.

I've seen it creeping into secondary schools, too. These kids are growing up thinking it's completely normal to communicate in different ways, which gives me hope for the future.

Look, I'm not saying every family needs to learn Makaton. But understanding what it is and why it matters? That feels important. Whether you've got a child who might benefit from it directly, or you just want to be the kind of person who can communicate with everyone in your community, it's worth knowing about.

Plus—and I'm not kidding about this—learning to use your hands while you talk has made me a better communicator overall. Who knew that watching my gestures would make me think more carefully about what I'm actually trying to say?

The bottom line is this: communication is everything. It affects how our kids do at school, how they make friends, how they feel about themselves. If there's a tool out there that can help any child express themselves better and feel more confident doing it, then as far as I'm concerned, that's worth learning about. Even if it does mean looking slightly ridiculous while you practice signing "banana" in your kitchen. Best of luck to you!

For more information, check out these popular topics:

• Baby Sign Language: Discover the Science Behind It
• When Should You Teach Baby Sign Language?
• 10 Baby Sign Language Words to Teach Your Little One