Makaton Health Care Specific Package

Across health and social care training, knowledge and understanding of communication is a fundamental part of the curricula and takes a variety of forms, depending upon the type of training. For the most part, the focus is upon teaching students in relation to conventional verbal and non-verbal communication, which invariably consists of being taught active listening, utilising empathy and being able to recognise basic non-verbal communication.

However, feedback from students as well as from people with lived experience, highlights that there is still a lack of training in relation to the use of specific non-verbal communication skills. For people with specific communication needs or those who are non-verbal, it is essential that health and social care professionals develop the necessary skills to be able to engage with and communicate with people.