Mythbuster Series #6: Assistive Technology (AT) Just Means Expensive Tablets and Computers

Positive and inclusive STEM learning opportunities are essential for all young children, as interest in and belief in their ability to succeed in STEM fields forms at a young age (Early STEM Working Group, 2017). For young children with disabilities (birth to five), the use of assistive technology (AT) may be needed to provide access to STEM learning opportunities. Combining AT with effective teaching can promote children’s participation  in learning (Winton, Buysse, Rous, Epstein, & Pierce, 2011). A common myth about AT is that it has to be an expensive high-tech electronic device, such as a tablet (US Department of Education, 2024). This is not the case. In fact, AT is the use of “any item, piece of equipment, or  product system, whether acquired commercially off the shelf, modified, or customized, that is used to increase, maintain, or improve functional capabilities” (Sandall et al., 2005). In other words, AT spans from low-tech aids such as visual cues and grasping supports that are usually created by families, teachers, or therapists, to mid-tech supports, such as button switches and standers to high-tech supports such as custom-built augmentative   communication device  and powered wheelchairs.

The following table provides examples of low-tech to high-tech AT devices/interventions that are most commonly used to support young children (birth to five) with disabilities in accessing learning opportunities.

Adapted from Qahmash, 2018, The IRIS Center, 2010; 2020, Waters et al., 2022, and STEMIE, 2023