'Hang on to it until September': Literacy Experiences for Children with Complex Communication Differences During Summer Months

"Hang on to it until September" explores the literacy practices for seven children with complex communication differences (CCD) during summer months from the perspective of the child, parent, and summer teacher. Interpretivist and social practice theories inform research and function to reconceptualize literacies for children with CCD from an narrow and skills-focused perspective. A collective case study design illustrates how reading and literacies are defined, valued, modified and situated. Results indicate children with CCD participate in literacies during the summer differently in home and school contexts. Literacy practices are tied to the structure and patterns of events in the context where they are situated. The home context is influenced by parents' goals and practices as well as school practices while the school context is influenced by the purposes and goals of summer learning/school as well as educational policy and standards. Theoretical and practical implications emerge. Rather than defining literacy as a set of skills to acquire through explicit instruction, literacies should be considered a social practice situated in multiple contexts.