Less than month now until a response from the Trust is expected...

I have 4,953 words so only 2,047 left which is potentially manageable for the summer hols if I spend a few evenings on it. With the +/- 10%  only 1,347 words remaining is my lower limit, more than manageable. The course (ED841) https://msds.open.ac.uk/students/study/postgraduate/course/ed841.htm  has been great, quite a large majority of those doing it are not liking it but it has suited what I hoped to achieve. TMA 1 for example was something I was very keen to research:

Goldin-Meadow (2007, p. 417) argues that the home signs of hearing-impaired children provide evidence for the existence of a cognitive bias, whereby children ‘structure communication in language-like ways’. She argues that this bias is not derived from engagement with linguistic input, as these children cannot hear spoken language. What is your view on the extent to which other research in the area of language development supports Goldin-Meadow’s (2007) argument? Critically evaluate Goldin-Meadow’s paper ‘The challenge: some properties of language can be learned without linguistic input’, and draw on other material in Block 1 in support of your answer. In doing this, you should present your view on the extent to which other research in the area of language development supports Goldin-Meadow’s argument that linguistic input plays little or no part in language development

TMA5 has been interesting too:

Critically discuss why interventions and treatments for children with specific language impairment (SLI) vary in their effectiveness. You should use the materials from Block 3 of your module studies to support your answer.

Both have revealed some interesting pieces of research to make me think about DS1 and his language - or struggle with language. He is clearer in his speech now and he works with his SALT on questions so he is getting good at posing them. His speech reminds me of BSL, for example this morning he was talking about my sister, her husband and her son visiting us. He said 'who pick them up at the station? my dad pick them up.' From my BSL level 1 I remember that that would be the word order for signing a story like that.

The course has illuminated interesting facts about SLI and language almost as an aside to my real reason for wanting to complete this course. TMA2 sums up what I really wanted to learn all along and have been struggling with and wondering if I am doing the right thing by sending DS1 to a mainstream school - oh I must write my thoughts on this to see if I can find some answers.

Describe and critically evaluate theoretical ideas as to how adults (or more able peers) can support children’s learning, and review some of the empirical research related to these ideas. You must draw on material from Block 2 for your answer.

That is exactly what I wanted to find out. I got 93% for it! 93% is pretty well close to perfect if you ask me. So I should know now right. I should use that knowledge to decide on the appropriate route for DS1's education. But nothing is that simple. I have found out that the more you know the less you actually understand because there is so much more to know. That puts a different spin on that 93% - does that mean I know very little - about 7% if I were to put a figure on it! - about what I hoped to learn. Well I do know that DS1 and my thoughts about his education have been reconsidered a fair bit since starting this course. Mainstream is not ideal but he is happy, he loves his LSA (learning support assistant) and has a Statement for 25 hours with her. I think those 25 hours are my main concern at the moment. He doesn't get 25 hours - she has Friday afternoons in a different classroom, this has always upset me perhaps I need to sort this out for the next school year. Anyway what little I did gather and what I tried to write in TMA2 so I can't be too far off the mark (did I mention I got 93%?) is that children learn. That's it really. DS2 does this. He does it himself. I can't stop him. Nevermind theoretical ideas, he just learns. He seeks and finds in his rich environment everything that he needs. DS1 needs more help with everything but does that mean it is wrong? That I haven't done enough for him? I am starting to think not. I am starting to trust him to learn what he needs to learn. This morning he saw N coming though the house with his scythe and he jumped up to unlock the back door, he knew that was where N was heading - to cut the grass. That is all that matters isn't it?