Talking Mats was originally developed in 1998 by Joan in a research project at the University of Stirling. The use of Talking Mats now spans the globe from countries as diverse as France, China, India, USA, Australia, Germany, Finland, Malaysia, Sweden, Brazil, South Africa, Canada and Spain.

Since its first conception, research involving Talking Mats has now extended into work with young offenders, children with social and emotional difficulties, people considering alternative ways of eating and drinking, vulnerable children and adults, and people with learning disabilities, stroke, MND and dementia.

We place a great deal of emphasis on producing practical outcomes from our research projects and have developed training courses and resources for a wide range of people.

In September 2011 the Talking Mats team fulfilled their vision of becoming a Social Enterprise and have moved to new premises at the Stirling University Innovation Park where we are looking forward to pursuing new projects, new business opportunities, and accommodating the increase in demand for our products and training.

Please note the symbols that we use appear here courtesy of Mayer-Johnson Copyright © 2011 Mayer-Johnson