How Makaton is helping Gwen* find her voice
For Makaton International Awareness Day, we’re celebrating how inclusive communication can help children feel heard, understood and more confident in everyday life.
Every child deserves to be understood. For children who are non-verbal, or who find spoken communication difficult, being able to ask for something, make a choice or share how they feel can make a huge difference.
That’s why Makaton International Awareness Day feels like such an important moment to pause and celebrate the power of communication. Makaton uses signs, symbols and speech together, giving people more than one way to understand and express themselves.
At Community Foster Care, we believe in seeing the potential in every child and doing what we can to help them feel safe, supported and included. For one of our young people, Makaton has become a brilliant way to build connection with the people around her.
Learning together
Gwen has been living with her foster carers since January 2024. As Gwen is non-verbal, her school suggested trying Makaton to support communication at home and in everyday life.
Julia, one of our Supervising Social Workers, explains that she completed Makaton levels one and two alongside Gwen’s foster carers and our Family Support Worker, Rubie. Together, they built up the skills and confidence to communicate with Gwen in a way that worked for her.
Julia says she didn’t know much about Makaton before, but Gwen’s story has shown her just how valuable it can be. “It’s a great tool in a lot of environments,” she says.
“It’s been amazing seeing that change in her,” Julia says. “Makaton has been brilliant in bringing about that transformation.”
More than signs
Makaton isn’t used instead of speech. It’s used alongside speech, with signs and symbols helping to support the spoken word. Those extra visual clues can make communication feel more accessible, especially for people who have no speech, unclear speech or who benefit from additional ways to understand language.
For Gwen, this has made a real difference. Before, she often relied on visuals or physically leading someone to what she wanted. Now, she can use signs for everyday needs, such as ice, water or the toilet.
They might seem like small signs, but for Gwen, they are big steps towards independence, confidence and being understood.
A moment that showed the impact
Julia shared one example that really shows the impact. Gwen’s foster carer proudly told the story of being in a public toilet with Gwen, where the taps were the opposite way round to what she expected. Gwen signed “hot, hot”, warning her carer that the water was too warm.
Without that sign, Gwen’s foster carer may not have realised straight away. With it, Gwen was able to communicate something important clearly and in the moment.
It’s a simple example, but it says so much. When children are given the right tools and the adults around them learn alongside them, communication can become safer, more inclusive and more empowering.
Building confidence and connection
Since using Makaton, Gwen’s confidence has grown hugely. Julia says Gwen is now beginning to sound out words too, such as “apple”, showing how signs can support spoken language development rather than hold it back.
“She can express what she wants, whereas before she couldn’t,” Julia says. “I think it [not being able to communicate fully] was really difficult for her, and now she can sign things she needs.”
This is exactly what child-centred care looks like in practice: listening properly, adapting support around the child, and sticking with them as they grow in confidence. It also reflects the teamwork that sits at the heart of fostering, with carers, social workers, family support workers and schools all working together to help a young person thrive.
Marking Makaton Awareness Day
As we mark Makaton Awareness Day this August, Gwen’s story is a lovely reminder that communication is about so much more than words. It is about being able to ask, choose, connect, warn, share and be understood.
For Gwen, Makaton has helped create new moments of independence and connection. For the people who care for her, it has opened up new ways to listen, respond and build trust.
This awareness day, we’re celebrating Gwen, her foster carers and everyone using Makaton to make communication more inclusive, one sign at a time. Watch below as Julia, one of our Senior Social Workers share some common signs to help with communication.
*name changed to protect confidentiality