10 examples of assistive technology and adaptive tools for kids

Assistive technology (AT) refers to various adaptive tools and services that help kids work independently at school, potentially reducing the need for constant adult support. This technology ranges from low-tech items, like fidget toys or tools, to high-tech digital tools, like text-to-speech software on smart devices. These tools can help kids learn, communicate, and function at school and at home with more confidence and independence.

“Something as simple as a pencil grip can be an assistive technology support or an adaptive tool,” says Shira Moskovitz, a learning management systems adoption specialist for the NYC Department of Education. “[Students] may have trouble holding a traditional pencil, but it doesn’t mean they can’t write. Once we give them the tool to do that classwork, they can complete it independently.”

Assistive technology is especially helpful for students who are neurodivergent or have ADHD, but adaptive tools can aid all students in their learning. “I encourage every student to use accessibility features because everyone can benefit from a lot of these tools,” Moskovitz says. 

Moskovitz recalls meeting a student with selective mutism, who was unable to verbalize in class. By consistently using text-to-speech software on the school-provided laptop, the student gained the confidence to type and share ideas, eventually developing the comfort to communicate verbally in small group settings by the end of the year. 

That’s the power of assistive technology — it can give kids more agency. “A lot of times, assistive technology is taking away the adult support and giving it back to the student,” Moskovitz says. “We want them to feel a sense of ownership over their learning. If we can give them a tool to do that, that’s a win.”

What assistive technology options are available for your child? We’ll break down some common resources that you can advocate for your child to receive in the classroom or that you can consider implementing at home.

Your child may find it helpful to listen to words as they read them on the page. Smartphones and tablets come with text-to-speech software that can read aloud the text on the screen. And audiobooks are widely available on library apps and education websites to give students the option of listening to a book. 

Text-to-speech tools and audiobooks can be particularly helpful for students with learning disabilities that involve reading, such as dyslexia. They can also help kids with language or auditory processing challenges. 

According to research,opens in a new tab AI can be assistive technology for kids if used properly and for the right reasons. After all, AI powers many tools kids already use, like text-to-speech and speech-to-text technology. 

AI tools can also help break a big project into smaller steps, or summarize a reading passage for students. For example, when your child comes home from school, you can help them write prompts into AI platforms, like Gemini or Claude, to turn homework into bite-size tasks that are easier to tackle. 

Older kids with executive functioning challenges can also ask AI chatbots to “break assignments down into chunks across the week” so they can hand in work on time, says Moskovitz. She adds that it’s helpful to specify in the AI prompt how long your child can sustain focus, so the chatbot knows how long the chunks of time should be. 

Moskovitz also encourages using AI to enhance content comprehension by asking it to clarify assignment instructions or even translate complex processes into different formats. That way kids can better understand the material and ultimately perform the work independently. 

“We can’t escape AI, and pretending it’s not there doesn’t help our students,” Moskovitz says. “My perspective is, let’s teach [kids] to use it safely and appropriately.”

If your child has trouble writing or taking notes, they can use an audio recorder, laptop, tablet, or smartphone to capture what a teacher says in class. Recording class lecture audio (and possibly synching the recording with notes) helps kids with dysgraphia as well as kids with working memory, processing speed, and attention issues who may have trouble listening and taking notes simultaneously. 

Wristwatches, hourglass timers, and time-tracking apps can be useful for kids with ADHD who have trouble pacing themselves. Or, if your kid has a hard time transitioning from one task to another, timers can help them mentally prepare to switch. And timers can be used as visual aids to show how much time is left to complete an activity. 

Parents can ask teachers to allow their kids to have smartwatches or stopwatches on their wrists in class for time-tracking purposes. 

Reading guides are plastic strips that highlight one line of text while blocking out surrounding words that might be distracting. These tools can be beneficial for kids who have trouble with visual tracking or who need help staying focused on the page. 

Reading guides are easy to move down the page as a child reads. And there are versions that magnify words or paragraphs. “A lot of kids [who are neurodivergent] have a hard time focusing,” Moskovitz explains. “If you magnify the screen and focus on just one question or paragraph, that helps.”

There are also free Google Chrome extensionsopens in a new tab that offer the same accessibility feature for on-screen reading across devices. And many text-to-speech tools also highlight words or sentences as they’re read aloud to aid with visual tracking and focus.

Fidgets are excellent low-tech assistive technology for kids who have a hard time sitting still, especially those with ADHD or sensory needs. Whether it’s a squishy ball or textured putty, fidget toys and tools offer subtle movements that help kids settle in and pay attention in class or when doing homework. 

But even though research supportsopens in a new tab the idea that movement can help with attention, there’s some debate about whether fidget toys and tools are actually useful. Generally, simple, quiet tools tend to work better than flashy ones, helping your kid tune in rather than zone out. 

Kids who have ADHD or other forms of neurodivergence sometimes have trouble with sensory processing, attention, or hyperactivity. So they may find seating support items helpful. These include seat cushions, balance balls, wobble stools, standing desks, slanted cushions, and balance ball chairs. 

Like fidget tools, these cushions can provide kids with enough movement and stimulation to maximize their focus — without their needing to get up and walk around a classroom.

Personal listening devices (PLDs) or assistive listening devices (ALDs) — sometimes also called FM listening systems — are a common form of assistive technology in the classroom that parents can request from schools. With a PLD, a teacher wears a microphone that transmits to a student’s personal receiver (typically used with headphones or earbuds). 

These systems reduce background noise in the classroom and amplify the teacher’s voice. This helps with auditory processing and focus for kids with hearing impairment, autism, and language processing challenges.

For kids with dyscalculia, a condition that makes it hard to understand math concepts and work with numbers, calculators can help with basic math, like multiplication and division. That way kids can keep advancing in math even if basic calculations are still difficult for them. 

There are many calculator options to consider, such as large-display calculators or talking calculators that have built-in speech output to read the numbers, symbols, and operation keys aloud. This confirms to students that they’ve pressed the correct keys. 

Students typically start using calculators in middle school.opens in a new tab And research on math technology,opens in a new tab more broadly, suggests that digital tools like calculators can support kids’ math learning. “A student may have developed certain math skills,” Moskovitz explains, “but [their school] math level keeps increasing, so they just need a little more support from a calculator or a digital graphing tool to demonstrate their understanding.”

Writing involves multiple cognitive and motor skills, and both high-tech and low-tech tools can make a big difference for kids who have trouble with writing. 

Here’s a breakdown of some writing tools that can be helpful in and out of the classroom. 

Writing tools to support cognitive skills: 

• Spelling and grammar checkers: These tools, included with most word processing software and apps, can help with spelling and grammar, and can be especially helpful for kids with written expression disorder or dysgraphia.

• Word prediction software: This is a great option for students whose thoughts race ahead of their ability to write them down. Kids type the first few letters, and the software then suggests word choices that begin with those letters. 

• Thought organizing tools: Graphic organizers, like visual charts or story maps, are an adaptive writing tool that helps students arrange their ideas before they write. These organizers can be as low-tech as a printable worksheet or as high-tech as a digital idea-mapping app. Check out some of our downloadable and printable graphic organizers for grade-schoolers, like a “hamburger” paragraph that teaches kids about writing paragraphs. 

Writing tools to support motor skills: 

• Plastic pencil grips: A pencil grip fits over the pencil to position the thumb, index, and middle finger correctly. Grasping the pencil properly lets your child write more neatly and more quickly without their hand muscles getting so tired. You can find pencil grips at office supply stores, but they may not provide enough finger support for kids with dysgraphia. To find the right pencil grip for your child, you may need to look in online catalogs aimed at occupational therapists.

• Slant boards: Writing on a slanted surface allows your child’s wrist to extend while the fingers flex and naturally fall into a better writing position. Instead of using a slant board, your child can use a three-inch three-ring binder turned sideways. A rubber band can keep papers from slipping off.

• Modified worksheets: These can be useful for kids who find handwriting tricky and who struggle to squeeze answers into small spaces. Modified worksheets, with bigger text sizes on larger paper or more space between questions, give students more space on the page so they can write comfortably and easily show their work. Grid paper is another helpful option, especially for math.

• Dictation tools: Speech-to-text technology on computers and tablets can transcribe what kids say out loud into text on screen. This lets kids who have difficulty writing or typing by hand get their thoughts out by talking, instead of holding back from documenting what they want to say.

Assistive technology falls under the umbrella of accommodations that you can advocate for your child to receive in school. Exact terms and regulations vary by state. But in general, schools must provide and pay for assistive technology for students who need it. That’s the case under both the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and Section 504. These are two laws that cover students with disabilities.

Under IDEA, students get services and supports through an IEP. A school must provide assistive technology devices and services the IEP team decides a child needs in order to:

• Access educational content

• Participate in class

• Demonstrate what they know and what they can do

“Parents don’t realize that assistive technology is part of the IEP process,” Moskovitz says. “All they have to know is that they have the agency to ask for it.”

IEP teams must consider assistive technology as part of developing a plan to meet each student’s unique needs. If the team determines that your child needs assistive technology, they may have a specialist do an evaluation to figure out which type of technology is best for your child. (You can also request an assistive technology evaluation if the school doesn’t bring it up.)

Section 504 isn’t as direct as IDEA about providing assistive technology to students. But if a child needs assistive technology to participate in school, it can be covered in a 504 plan.

If your child has a 504 plan and you think they need assistive technology, ask the 504 team to evaluate their needs. The team must also consider any evaluation information you may already have.

Schools must pay for whatever assistive technology the IEP or 504 team determines is needed. Schools can’t say they don’t have the funds, or that the devices or services aren’t available. And parents can’t be required to use private or public insurance to pay for assistive technology for kids who have been identified under IDEA or 504.

Under both laws, use of the technology isn’t limited to just while the student is at school. A student will likely also need the assistive technology at home for homework and studying. So the device can go back and forth, even though it belongs to the school. Students who are no longer enrolled at the school, however, can’t take the device with them.

Schools must also provide teachers and students with any training that’s needed to properly use the assistive technology. The training should be included in your child’s IEP or 504 plan.

Keep in mind that even though the law says IEP teams must consider assistive technology, it’s possible a team will refuse to do an assistive technology evaluation if it doesn’t think one is needed. In that case, you have options for disputing that decision. Check with your state’s parent training center for more information.

Additional reporting by Sarah Kim.

Thumbnail image credit: FatCamera via Getty Images