Bridging Ability, Disability, and Cognitive Growth : Diagnostic Teaching in Special Education and Early Childhood

This book reclaims cognitive development as the foundation of educational practice, reframing disability as untapped potential.

Teachers are rarely given what they truly need: a comprehensive framework for understanding how young learners think, process, and develop—and how to support those who struggle. Bridging Ability, Disability, and Cognitive Growth addresses this need by placing cognitive development directly in educators'' hands through the Unified Development Continuum (UDC). Dr. Myung-Sook Koh presents child development as an interconnected hierarchy of cognitive systems rather than a collection of symptom-based profiles. Moving from foundational processes—sensory integration, attention, and perception—through advanced competencies such as abstract reasoning and executive function, and into integrated domains including social-emotional cognition, language, and literacy, the UDC demonstrates how cognitive systems build upon one another to form functional intelligence. Each continuum is paired with sequenced, classroom-ready diagnostic instruction, enabling educators to identify cognitive barriers early and respond with targeted, developmentally aligned strategies. Essential for early childhood and special education professionals, this book equips pre-service and in-service teachers, learning coaches, and caregivers to shift from static testing toward responsive diagnostic teaching that supports diverse learners.