Assistive Tech for Neurodivergent Students
Understanding Neurodiversity & Learning: Tools to Help You Thrive
Neurodiversity means recognising and valuing different ways of thinking, learning, and processing — including ADHD, autism, dyslexia, dyspraxia, and more. For neurodivergent students, traditional learning setups can be challenging — but there’s lots of great tech to help level the playing field.
💭 Common Challenges (and How Tech Can Help)
- Reading & Processing: Text-heavy content can be overwhelming.
- Focus & Attention: Staying on task in lectures or study sessions
- Sensory Sensitivities: Bright lights or noise in classrooms
- Organisation: Struggling to plan or prioritise tasks
But the flip side? Neurodiverse students often excel in creativity, problem-solving, and unique thinking — and assistive technology (AT) can help unlock that potential.
Explore tools for Reading, Writing, Organisation, and the latest Study Tools & Resources.
Tools That Support Neurodivergent Learners
📝Note-Taking and Organisation
- Microsoft OneNote: Free with your Student Office 365 Account! Helps with planning, visual thinking, and keeping everything in one place to reduce mental overload. Check out our handy user guide here
- Notion: Customisable all-in-one workspace. Notion offers a free “Education Plus Plan” for individual students who sign up with a valid .ac.uk email address, providing access to the paid Plus plan features for personal use.
- NotebookLM: AI-powered notetaking from Google (great for research) 👉 Read our post on NotebookLM
- Apple Notes: Free on Apple IPad and great for handwritten or typed notes. Apple Notes is simple, searchable, and syncs across devices . You can import lecture slides, record and summarise audio, add videos, pictures and so much more.
✅ Task Management and Executive Functioning Support
- Microsoft To Do – Microsoft To Do can be a real game‑changer for keeping your student life organised — it’s like having a personal assistant in your pocket that never forgets a deadline. (Free with your student Microsoft 365 account!)
- Goblin Tools AI tools for breaking down tasks, checking tone, time estimates 👉 Explore our Goblin Tools Guide
- Todoist – Great for breaking projects into steps
🧠 Mind Mapping and Idea Organisation
- Mindview: Full-featured tool is available for QUB students 👉 Explore our Mindview Guide
- Coggle: Simple, collaborative mind maps
- MindMup: Easy browser-based mind mapping
⏱️ Focus and Time Management
- Microsoft Focus Mode – It silences notifications, sets a customisable timer for deep work.
- Focus Keeper: Pomodoro timer to avoid burnout.
- Forest: Stay off your phone and grow virtual trees 🌳
- Clockify: A time tracker that helps manage multiple projects.
📚 Reading and Writing Support
Check out these handy guides: Assistive Tech for Reading & Writing and Assistive Tech for Academic Reading and Understanding
- Microsoft Co-pilot – Microsoft Copilot empowers students to work smarter by streamlining reading, writing, and organisation. It can summarise dense articles or textbooks into clear, digestible points, help draft and refine essays with polished grammar and structure, and even suggest ideas to strengthen arguments.
- 👉 Check out this guide on Using AI Safely and Smartly at QUB and how to access Copilot
- NaturalReader Online: Converts text to speech
- Grammarly: Spelling, grammar, clarity (free version available)
- Google Docs Voice Typing: Built-in speech-to-text
- Everway Read&Write: Supports reading, writing, and learning, access is free to QUB students 👉 Explore our Read&Write Guide
🧘 Sensory Regulation and Break Management
- Breathe2Relax (Apple and Google): Guided breathing to calm your system
- Calm: Mindfulness and meditation app
- White Noise Lite (Google and Apple): Background sound to aid focus
🧰 Getting Started with Assistive Tech
Not sure where to begin? Here’s how to choose the right tools:
- Know Your Needs – What’s most challenging for you?
- Pick Your Style – Visual learner? Prefer voice tools?
- Start Small – Try 1–2 tools before adding more
- Check Device Compatibility – Apple, Android, Windows, etc.
- Explore & Adapt – Try free versions and see what sticks
🎯 Try this: AHEAD’s “Discover your AT” tool helps match tools to your needs.
💬 Final Thoughts
AT isn’t just about accommodation — it’s about empowerment. The right tech can help you manage tasks, reduce stress, and unlock the way you learn best.
