Again, Again! Why Repeating Signs Matters
When people begin using Makaton, they are often keen to keep learning more and more signs.
Learning new signs is exciting, but communication is not about how many signs you know. It is about being able to use the signs you know confidently, naturally and at the right moment.
That is why repeating the same signs is such a good thing.
Repetition helps signs become familiar
Most of us need to see or hear something many times before we remember it. Signs are no different.
When someone sees the same sign used regularly, they have repeated opportunities to:
- notice the sign
- connect it with the spoken word
- understand what it means
- see how it is used
- begin to use it themselves, if they are able to
Someone may understand a sign long before they attempt to make it. They might also use an approximation rather than producing the sign exactly as it has been modelled. Both are important parts of communication development.
Familiar signs are easier to process
Communication can move very quickly. By the time someone has processed one sentence, the conversation may already have moved on.
Using familiar signs can make communication easier to follow. The signs act as visual clues, helping to highlight the important information in what we are saying.
If we are constantly introducing new vocabulary, we may unintentionally increase the processing demands. Repeating familiar signs gives someone more time and more opportunities to make sense of them.
Everyday routines provide natural repetition
Repetition does not need to mean sitting down for a formal practice session or asking someone to copy a sign over and over again.
The most useful repetition often happens naturally during everyday life.
For example, the sign for drink might be used when:
- offering a drink
- asking what someone would like
- preparing a drink together
- noticing that a cup is empty
- talking about what someone has had
- choosing between two drinks
The sign stays the same, but it is used in different, meaningful situations.
Words such as more, finished, help, toilet, eat, drink, good, where? and what? can appear many times throughout the day. These everyday signs may be much more useful than a large collection of signs that are rarely used.
Repetition builds confidence
It can be tempting to stop using a sign because the person has not yet signed it back. But not seeing an immediate response does not mean the sign has not been noticed or understood.
Keep modelling it without pressure.
People need time to become familiar with a sign and to understand that it has a useful purpose. They also need to know that their communication attempts will be noticed and responded to.
Seeing the same signs used consistently by the people around them can help build that confidence.
You do not have to sign every word
Speak naturally and add signs to the most important words in your sentence. Keep your language clear, allow plenty of processing time and give the person an opportunity to respond in their own way.
That response might be a sign, a word, a sound, a facial expression, a movement, an object, a symbol or a change in body language. Communication is much bigger than speech or signing alone.
Familiar does not mean boring
We often worry that repeating vocabulary will become boring. In reality, familiar signs can be used in lots of different ways - during songs, stories, games, choices, conversations and daily routines.
You can add new vocabulary gradually, but there is no need to rush. A small number of useful signs, modelled frequently and meaningfully, can make a much bigger difference than dozens of signs that are learned once and then forgotten.
So if you feel as though you are using the same signs again and again, you are probably doing something very helpful.
Repetition creates familiarity. Familiarity supports understanding. And understanding gives communication the best chance to grow.
About the author
Nic Pike is Director of Better Communication Together CIC and a Licensed Makaton Tutor and Tutor Training Facilitator. She writes about Makaton, accessible communication and inclusive practice, drawing on over 40 years' professional experience and lived experience as a parent of a Makaton user.
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