Many students fail to grasp the concept and procedural facility of multiple step mathematics approach. Since mathematics builds unto itself, as math becomes more complex, students with gaps in their learning have a uniquely difficulty time succeeding.

Executive function and self-regulation are the brains’ ability to inhibit inappropriate and impulsive behaviors (inhibitory control), hold and work with information (working memory), and shift between tasks throughout the day (cognitive flexibility). Early childhood is a sensitive period in the development of executive function and self-regulation, and the early childhood classroom is an excellent setting to promote the development of both through movement and play.

Young children with disabilities often struggle with language acquisition and communication. Dialogic Reading (DR) can improve students’ language and communication (Coogle, 2020; IES, 2010) as well as vocabulary and reading comprehension (Doyle & Bramwell, 2006).

Co-teaching helps support students’ access to the general curriculum and offers a way to close the gap between the achievement and other outcomes of students with disabilities and those of their peers. Co-teaching evolved from the inclusive practices movement and is supported by federal law and guidance regarding the least restrictive environment (LRE) and participation in general education.

Educators struggle with how to teach literacy skills to students with significant intellectual disabilities (Cooper-Duffy et al, 2010). First, students with significant intellectual disability demonstrate specific learning characteristics such as difficulty attending to stimuli, memory problems, generalization, self-regulation, problems with observational learning, and synthesizing skills (Westling & Fox, 2009). Second, many educators do not know how to teach literacy skills to this population including the Extended Content Standards (Browder et al., 2008; Cooper-Duffy et al, 2010). Third, many students communicate nonverbally making it difficult to know how to teach phonological awareness and vocabulary instruction (Koppenhaver et al., 2007). Furthermore, knowing how to adapt reading and phonics instruction for learners who have multiple disabilities challenges educators (Browder et al., 2008). Students must become active readers before they become independent readers.