Dr. Aftynne E. Cheek is an associate professor of special education and serves as graduate and undergraduate program director for the special education program in the Department of Child Development, Literacy, and Special Education at Appalachian State University. She is interested in students with extensive support needs, specifically literacy instruction, teacher preparation, eCoaching, and teacher mentoring.
Her years of experience as a special education teacher for children with moderate and severe intellectual disabilities, physical disabilities, multiple disabilities, autism, traumatic brain injury, mental illness, and emotional and behavioral disorders provides the foundation for her commitment to teacher education. She teaches introductory and methods courses in special education at the undergraduate and graduate levels that emphasize instruction, curriculum design, and individualized assessment for students with extensive support needs.
She is a member of the Council for Exception Children (CEC), Teacher Education Division (TED), and Division for Autism and Development Disabilities (DADD). She serves as the co-editor and co-founder of the Journal of Case Learning for Exceptional Learners (JCLEL) and associate editor for Rural Special Education Quarterly (RSEQ).
She has been recognized for her work, receiving the RSEQ Reviewer of the Year in 2022 and the college's Community of Practice Award. She also has received a SWAG Grant.
Dr. Cheek earned her B.A. at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; M.S. at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University; and Ph.D. at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
She enjoys reading, CrossFit, and being outdoors with her husband, two kids, and dog.
Title: Associate Professor, Special Education, Program Director of Special Education
Department: Department of Child Development, Literacy, and Special Education
Email address: Email me
Phone: (828) 262-7833
Office address
325 FCollege of Education Building