Baby Sign and Makaton: Signs Do Not Stop Speech
Written by the Inclusive Developmental and Therapy Center therapy team — our Speech & Language Therapist, psychology and ABA staff. Clinical reviewer for this site: Dr Muhammad Suffyan, MB BS (GMC 8023727) · Updated August 2026; this page has changed since our last clinical review.
A sign is a way to ask while the mouth is still catching up. You say the word and you make the sign. The child sees and hears the same message. That is the whole idea. It is not a second language you are choosing instead of Urdu or English. It is not a device. It is not a reason to stop talking.
The fear is the same as with pictures: if I give him a sign, he will never bother to speak. The AAC evidence does not support that fear — pictures, signs and devices. A child with no way to ask still asks, usually by screaming. We would rather they signed “more.”
Baby sign, Makaton, PECS — not the same
- Baby sign usually means a handful of gestures with infants who are developing typically, to reduce frustration before words. More, milk, finished. You still talk.
- Makaton is a structured programme of signs and symbols used alongside speech, in spoken word order. Nurseries like it because the adult talks and signs at once. We are not a certified Makaton centre and we will not pretend a weekend workshop is a licence.
- PECS is handing over a picture to request. Different job. We are not a certified PECS centre either. Teaching requests is the skill; the form can be a sign, a photo, or a card.
Pakistan does not have a single “official” sign you must use at home. Consistency in your house matters more than copying a UK nursery’s exact handshape. If school uses one set, match school. If they use nothing, pick a few useful signs and stick to them.
Which signs to start with
Start with what they actually want, and what you can honour at once: more, stop, finished, drink, help, toilet if that is live. Do not start with please, colours, or the alphabet. Do not sign a running commentary of the whole day. A child who is ignored when they sign “more” will stop signing.
Say the word in your home language every time. If you sign and stay silent, you have built a quiet system. If relatives refuse to sign, they can still honour a sign they recognise and say the word. One fluent signer in the house is enough to start. Two is better. Six people doing six different gestures is noise.
If they already point, take your hand, or use a picture, you do not have to add signs for the sake of a trend. Add a sign when it would be faster or more portable than what they have now.
When signs are not the next step
If they are not looking at you, signs in the air will miss. Start with joint attention and requesting. If they have lots of words and the issue is unclear speech, signs will not fix S or R — sounds by age. If the school wants a full Makaton curriculum, that is staff training, not a parent Pinterest board. For schools.
Inclusive Developmental and Therapy Center, Model Town, Multan. We will use whichever request the child will actually use. We will not sell a sign package. A consultation is Rs 1,500 and lasts up to 50 minutes.
Frequently asked questions
Will baby sign stop my child talking?
Used with spoken words, signs do not replace speech. The fear is old and it is not what AAC research shows. A child with no way to ask still communicates — often by screaming. A sign for “more,” honoured at once, is a plan. Silence while you wait for a perfect word is not.
Is Makaton the same as Pakistani Sign Language?
No. Makaton is signs and symbols used with speech, in spoken word order, as a support. Deaf sign languages are full languages used in deaf communities. We are not a certified Makaton centre and we are not a deaf-education school. Match whatever your child’s classroom actually uses.
How many signs should we teach?
A handful that get something they want: more, stop, drink, help. Honour them every time. A wall of twenty signs nobody responds to is decoration.
We speak Urdu. Should we sign in English?
Sign while you say the word you actually speak at home. The sign is a handshape; the language is your voice. Do not switch the household to English to match a YouTube video.
PECS or signs?
Whichever this child will use when they are hungry, not when they are being tested. Pictures travel well in noisy rooms. Signs need a looking partner. Some children use both. We are not certified in either branded programme. See AAC.
My mother says signs will make him lazy.
Invite her to watch one requesting moment. If the sign gets juice and a spoken word on top, she has seen the point. If she will not sign, she can still give the juice and say “juice.” One willing adult is enough to start. Explaining therapy to relatives.