Makaton and BSL Presentation

ES5008- First and Second Language Acquisition, Learning and Development

‘Towards inclusion: an argument for introducing Makaton & BSL into schools’

Index

5. What is Makaton and BSL?

1. Introduction

6. How can these help?-link to theory

2. Communication struggles

7. Why they are important

3. Learning differences

8. Conclusion

4. Hearing Impairments

Why this topic?

Personal experience with Sign Language-Meet Steffi!!

Does anyone in the room know of anyone who utilises makaton or BSL as a method of communication? If so what influence has this had on the individual holistically?

Starter activity

In small groups arrange yourself into the oldest (left) to the youngest (on the right) without speaking or discussing verbally.

the significance of that task.

The difficulty that you may have faced is what individuals with speech,language and hearing difficulties suffer with on a daily basis within the classroom.

What is the need for inclusion?

Every child should be given educational opportunities regardless of their speech and language development

There are many reasons that individuals may need access to additonal speech and language resources

If access cannot be gained this can negatively impact on the indivudals educational attainment.

Access to these resources can have a significance on how an individual develops on a holistic level.

There are various reasons that some individuals may need to use Makton/BSL- Autism Cleft lip & palate Developmental language disorder Down's syndrome Global developmental delay Multi-sensory impairment (deafblindness) Verbal dyspraxia

These techniques are also used by parents and other family members, friends and carers, and education and health professionals (Makaton charity,2021)

What is the difference?

British Sign Language (BSL)

MAKATON

Makaton is designed to be used to support spoken language, for people with learning or communication difficulties. Makaton is often used alongside speech to help aid children and adults with communication. It is common for people to eventually stop using signs as their speech develops. (Butler,2016)

British Sign Language (BSL) is a language with its own structure and grammar and uses hand signs, body language, facial expression and lip patterns. It is the language used by the deaf community in the UK and, as with any spoken language, is constantly evolving (Butler,2016)

Who uses Makaton?There are currently over 1 million Makaton users. Makaton can help anyone who has difficult with: communicating what they want, think or how they feel making themselves understood paying attention listening to and understanding speech remembering and sequencing.

Makaton

Makaton is also regularly used in mainstream schools, to support all children to develop communication, language and literacy skills. It supports integration as children with and without language difficulties can communicate, learn and play together more easily.Used in media-Mr Tumble CBeebies. Makaton symbols are also widely used in public buildings such as schools, hospitals, courts and libraries to help people find their way around. So you may be using Makaton is your daily life without even know it! (Mencap,2022)

Makaton is a visual way to develop communication skills, which helps stimulate sounds and words. The visual way of communicating helps language development, such as putting words together. Makaton helps understanding by giving an extra visual cue to communication.

BSL

Sign language is a visual language that uses hand shapes, facial expression, gestures and body language. BSL is a complete language with a unique vocabulary, construction and grammar. In Britain there are over 70,000 people whose first or preferred language is BSL. Signing can help children of all abilities develop communication skills when they start school. The visual nature of signing means children tend to enjoy it, which can encourage reluctant communicators as well as those with special educational needs (SEN). This makes communication more inclusive. Lets them make a contribution that others will understand, and so take part in class activities. Help children understand more sophisticated concepts as they progress. ‘It can be used to help children develop literacy skills and grammatical understanding We even have a resource that is designed to help with understanding the language of maths, which has been shown to help children access the curriculum.

To summarise

1. The introduction of Makaton and BSL in schools has a monumental significance on pupils who struggles with hearing,speech and language difficulties' development holistically.
2. Moreover, there is a clear distinction that having access to additional learning resources can aid an individuals emotional,social,intellectual and physical development.

thank you !!

Any questions?