Margaret Walker

Margaret Walker (born 1938) is a British speech and language therapist who co-developed the language programme Makaton in the 1970s.

Career Walker was one of the three developers of the language programme Makaton. The name of the programme is derived from the first letters of the names of the three therapists who helped devise the programme in the 1970s: Margaret Walker, Katharine Johnston and Tony Cornforth.

Walker was awarded Fellowship of the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists in 1986, and appointed MBE in the 1997 Birthday Honours for services to Healthcare whilst working at St George's, University of London. In 2019 she was recognised in the Pride of Britain Awards.

Publications (with Hooper, H) (2002). "Makaton peer tutoring evaluation: 10 years on". British Journal of Learning Disabilities, 30, 38–42, BILD Publications (with Grove, Nicola) (1990). "The Makaton Vocabulary: Using manual signs and graphic symbols to develop interpersonal communication", Augmentative and Alternative Communication, 6:1, 15-28, DOI: 10.1080/07434619012331275284 Walker, M & Armfield, I A (1987). ‘What is the Makaton Vocabulary?" Special Education: Forward Trends. 8 (3) 19-20 Walker, M (1986). "Understanding Makaton", Special Children, 1, 6, 22-2 (with Parsons, F S, Cousins, S, Henderson, R & Carpenter, B) (1985). Symbols for Makaton. Camberley, Surrey: Makaton Vocabulary Development Project "The Makaton Vocabulary: From Britain to the Antipodes", Australasian Journal of Special Education, 8:2, November 1984, 8-11, DOI: 10.1017/S1030011200021187 Walker, M (1978). "The Makaton Vocabulary" in Tebbs, T. (ed.) Ways and Means. Basingstoke: Globe Education (with Cornforth, A & Johnston, K) (1974). "Makaton Vocabulary: Teaching Sign Language to the Deaf Mentally Handicapped", Apex, 2, 23-25