This Makaton International Awareness Day, we’re celebrating the difference it can make in the lives of the people we support.
To that end, meet Amy – a huge Makaton fan! We asked Amy’s mum Carol to tell us all about Amy, how she uses Makaton, and how it’s impacted her life.
“Amy is non-verbal and uses Makaton as her main means of communication. Learning Makaton allowed Amy to communicate from a young age, and undoubtedly reduced the frustration she may otherwise have felt at not being understood verbally.
Amy is 19 years old and lives in East Kilbride with me (her Mum), her Dad and her 12 year old sister, Lana. She has a rare genetic condition (AUTS2) which causes multiple complex needs. This was only diagnosed recently, thanks to advances in genetic research.
Amy accessed Speech & Language Therapy from the age of two, where they encouraged the use of alternative means of communication to speech. I remember trying to get Amy to sign her first sign (“BALL”) over several sessions, and the delight when she finally managed it – the ball was rolled to her, and everyone clapped with joy! I also vividly remember her signing “MUM” for the first time from the bus window as she left me to go to nursery for the first time, aged two – “sob!” – wee soul has always known how to melt my heart!
Since then, Amy’s signing has gone from strength to strength. We watched “Something Special” with Mr Tumble, which was a good way to learn some simple signs at an easy pace. “Singing Hands” was another great resource – Amy has always loved music and these videos allowed her to learn signs for some of her favourite songs, which made learning fun.
Amy went to nursery and primary school in Glasgow where she was well supported and further encouraged to develop alternative means of communication. She has a talker, which she knows how to use, but she prefers to sign, to communicate “face-to-face”.
We moved to East Kilbride in 2013, hoping Amy would be educated at a local high school, and were delighted when the panel decided that the school best met her needs. The support she received there was wonderful – she had super teachers who really helped her fulfil her potential. They were great at recognising and rewarding achievements, and Amy was constantly showered in certificates, trophies and medals!
We were all extremely proud when she was crowned “Communication Champion” in the school awards in 2020, and she was voted “Pupil of the Year” three of her six years, proving you don’t have to talk to be popular, maybe quite the reverse! A true Frozen fan, Amy also signed “Let it Go” and won 2nd place at the school’s talent show.
Amy was home-schooled through most of 2020-21 as she was vulnerable to COVID complications. Some of the projects assigned through lockdown were fantastic. We all loved participating in her teacher’s weekly Makaton Challenges. Her teacher posted a video of herself signing & singing a popular song. We learned a bit and sent her a clip (or 10) of our efforts, and she magically produced a Makaton video starring Amy and her friends and teachers – it quickly became the highlight of our lockdown week, and was a great opportunity to stay connected, learn more signs and have some fun! Many of these songs have remained firm favourites.
After school, Amy went on to attend a local college where she proudly graduated in Life Skills in June 2022.
We were thrilled when Amy was offered a place at Sense Scotland’s TouchBase Lanarkshire where she started in July 2022. The day centre meets her needs perfectly, and she is settling in well. This offers her the opportunity to continue to be part of the local community, and participate in all her favourite activities – arts & crafts, music, cooking, socialising, drama, games, gardening in a safe environment, specifically for young adults with communication difficulties. I was keen that the staff there had a chance to see Amy signing before they worked with her, so they would understand her, and encourage her to feel comfortable signing in this new environment. Amy and I discussed which signs would be best to demonstrate, and she happily starred in a few videos, which were very well received.
Amy knows hundreds of Makaton signs now, and is always keen to share her knowledge. Her favourite signs are probably “more”, “ice-cream”, “cake”, “xbox” and “ipad”.
Makaton has enriched our lives in so many ways – I really wish it was taught to everyone at a young age to encourage inclusivity. Hopefully raising awareness will help.”
Written by Carol, mother to Amy, supported at TouchBase Lanarkshire