Sheehy, Kieron and Duffy, Hester Attitudes to Makaton in the
ages on integration and inclusion. International Journal of
Special Education, 24(2), Full text available as: The Makaton
Vocabulary was developed in the 1970’s and became, and has
remained, one of most pervasive and influential pedagogical
approaches for children with severe learning difficulties. This
article looks at attitudes towards Makaton and compares findings
from two studies, carried out in a sample of special schools in
the south west of England during 1986 and 1995. Overall, the
results suggest that attitudes towards the use of Makaton signs
have become more positive. Makaton signs are now regarded,
overall, as supporting and facilitating language development,
and earlier concerns about stigmatisation have declined. There
is some evidence to suggest that this latter change is
influenced by changes in attitudes to British Sign Language. The
1986 study predicted that new technology would have a
significant impact on attitudes to language an