The ability to communicate is one of the fundamental human skills and the foundation of every relationship. Individuals with severe learning difficulties often find it difficult to interact with others and therefore may require some form of augmentative and alternative communication all their lives.
In Great Britain, a language programme – Makaton, was developed in the 1970’s. Makaton improves communication of people with speech and language difficulties by combining signs, taken from sign language, and/or symbols with speech. As an effective method supporting development of communication skills, it has been adapted for use in more than 50 countries. Slovenia is not one of them, therefore it could be a great improvement to introduce Makaton to Slovenian special educational programmes in communication support of children with severe learning disabilities.
The main aim of the thesis is to present Makaton and its benefits for children with special needs. Accordingly, a qualitative research was conducted in which 8 female participants, who use Makaton regularly in their daily life at home or at work, were interviewed. Coding was used to analyse the qualitative data gained from the interviews and to interpret established categories: (1) a description of Makaton; (2) Makaton users; (3) learning (about) Makaton; (4) settings in which Makaton is used; (5) implementation of Makaton in an educational institution; (6) teaching Makaton in a classroom; (7) cooperating with parents regarding the use of Makaton.
The comparison of the practical use of Makaton, as described in interviews, to objectives and principles of Slovenian special educational programmes, shows the need for a language support programme such as Makaton and the benefits for individuals with learning disabilities in our country. The principles of special education dictate that every individual should have equal possibilities regarding their individual needs, live in an inclusive environment and be supported in their development of independence skills; all of which are described as qualities of the Makaton language programme. Because of its significant role in speech and language development, multimodal nature, compatibility with other types of augmentative and alternative communication, as well as its ability to be personalised, we consider it would be, with appropriate adaptation, extremely beneficial for people with severe learning disabilities in Slovenian special educational programmes.
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