David Koppenhaver

Dr. David A. Koppenhaver, Ph.D., is a professor in the Department of Reading Education and Special Education at Appalachian State University and a leading researcher on literacy for children with significant disabilities. He earned his Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and co‑founded the Center for Literacy and Disability Studies at UNC–Chapel Hill with David Yoder. His work has focused for more than two decades on literacy learning in children with complex needs, including autism spectrum disorders, intellectual disabilities, multiple disabilities, and complex communication needs.

Koppenhaver is co‑author of Comprehensive Literacy for All: Teaching Students with Significant Disabilities to Read and Write, a widely adopted methods text that provides research‑based strategies and a comprehensive framework for literacy instruction for students with severe disabilities. He has written and lectured extensively on literacy instruction for children with significant disabilities, teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in reading methods, special education, and instructional technology, and has been recognized internationally for his contributions, including the 1998 International Society for Augmentative and Alternative Communication/Don Johnston, Inc. Distinguished Lecturer Award.