Digital Resources for Students with Autism

This guide collects digital resources that teachers and families can use to support autistic students, from communication apps and other assistive technology to online training on classroom strategies. Each entry links to the organization that provides the resource and describes what you'll find there.

If you're just getting started, three places cover a lot of ground. Your state's assistive technology program may offer device demonstrations and short-term device loans, so you can try a tool before anyone buys it. The AFIRM modules from the University of North Carolina's Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute are freely available and walk through classroom strategies step by step. And if your student has an individualized education program (IEP), federal special education rules require the IEP team to consider whether the student needs assistive technology devices and services.

Assistive Technology for Students with Autism

Under federal special education rules, an assistive technology device is any item, piece of equipment or product system used to increase, maintain or improve the functional capabilities of a child with a disability, whether bought off the shelf, modified or customized (34 CFR 300.5). For autistic students, Autism Speaks notes that assistive technology can support communication regardless of speech ability, and that augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) is one specific type of assistive technology.

Technology and Autism - Autism Speaks explains assistive technology and AAC and links to a getting-started roadmap, device tips and parent questions about communication devices answered by experts.
Assistive Technology for Communication Roadmap - A downloadable Autism Speaks roadmap with steps for getting started with assistive technology devices for communication, also available in Spanish.
Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD): Common Assistive Technologies - A University of Illinois Library guide listing assistive tools, from low-tech aids to software and devices, for communication, social skills, daily living and workplace accommodations.
State Assistive Technology Programs - The AT3 Center's directory of assistive technology programs in each state and territory. Services vary by program and can include device demonstrations, short-term device loans, device reuse and financing options.
Simon Technology Center - PACER Center's assistive technology center offers a lending library of devices and software, guided explorations and trainings, and an "ask an expert" line for families and professionals.

Teaching Strategies and Classroom Tools for Students with Autism

AFIRM Modules - Online modules from UNC's Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute on planning, using and monitoring practices for learners from birth to 22, including visual supports, social narratives, video modeling, technology-aided instruction and intervention, and functional behavioral assessment. (For background, see our guide to functional behavior assessments.)
Educator Resources - The Organization for Autism Research (OAR) offers guidebooks such as An Educator's Guide to Autism, professional development materials and the Kit for Kids peer-awareness program. OAR says its first two resources are free, and its digital library offers free access to its guidebooks through the Libby app.
School Community Tool Kit - Autism Speaks provides an overview of autism, the rights of autistic students, strategies for academic and social success, and handouts for school staff from bus drivers to administrators. Access requires completing a short form; a Spanish version is available.
UDL Guidelines 3.0 - CAST's Universal Design for Learning Guidelines, released July 30, 2024, organize practical recommendations for planning lessons around engagement, representation, and action and expression, so more learners can access the same lesson.
Indiana Resource Center for Autism - Indiana University's autism resource center offers training for professionals, school support services and a free monthly newsletter. Its parent institute also runs a disability lending library that mails materials to borrowers wherever they live.

For background on one of the approaches teachers often hear about, see our overview of what applied behavior analysis is.

Technology and Disability

Center on Inclusive Technology & Education Systems (CITES) - Developed by CAST under a U.S. Department of Education grant, CITES helps school districts build technology systems that include students with disabilities who need assistive technology and accessible materials, with a framework and getting-started guides for educators, administrators and families.
Assistive Technology Devices and Services Under the IDEA - The U.S. Department of Education's January 22, 2024, guidance package, including a Dear Colleague letter and a "Myths and Facts" document that clarifies assistive technology requirements under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).
Closing The Gap - An assistive technology training organization with an annual conference, a paid Solutions membership with on-demand courses, and an online directory of more than 1,400 assistive technology products.

Using Assistive Technology Through an IEP

If a student receives special education services, assistive technology can be written into the student's IEP. Under IDEA's regulations, the IEP team must consider whether the child needs assistive technology devices and services. When a device or service is part of the student's special education, related services or supplementary aids and services, the school must make it available, and the IEP team can decide, case by case, that the student needs to use a school-purchased device at home. Assistive technology services also include evaluation and training for the student, the family and the professionals who work with the student. For more on how IEPs and special education services work, see our guide to teaching special education.

Before an IEP meeting, it can help to:

Note where communication, transitions or written work break down for the student, and which tools already help at home or in class.
Ask the team to name the specific device or app, the training the student, family and staff will receive, and whether the device will go home with the student.
Borrow a device through your state assistive technology program, where offered, so the team can see how the student uses it before a purchase.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are some free autism resources for teachers?

The AFIRM modules are freely available online and cover classroom practices step by step. The Organization for Autism Research says the first two of its educator resources are free, and its guidebooks can be borrowed free through the Libby app.

Does a school have to provide assistive technology for an autistic student?

For a student with an IEP, the IEP team must consider whether the student needs assistive technology, and when the team determines that a device or service is part of the student's special education, related services or supplementary aids and services, the school must make it available (34 CFR 300.324; 34 CFR 300.105).

Where can families try an AAC device before buying one?

State assistive technology programs can offer device demonstrations and short-term device loans, though services vary by program. PACER Center's Simon Technology Center also runs a lending library of assistive technology devices and software.