Assistive technology devices and services in the IEP

By the IEP Atlas editorial teamLast updated November 1, 2026

Short answer

Assistive technology in the IEP has two parts. An AT device is any item, piece of equipment or product system used to increase, maintain or improve a student's functional abilities. An AT service is any help selecting, getting, fitting, using or training on that device. The IEP team must consider AT for every student and write in the devices and services the student needs.

Assistive technology covers a pencil grip and a speech-generating device, a highlighter strip and a screen reader. What makes something AT is not the price or how high-tech it is. It is whether the student needs it to do something they otherwise could not do, or could not do as well.

Federal rules define both halves. An AT device is any item, piece of equipment or product system, bought off the shelf, modified or customized, that is used to increase, maintain or improve the functional capabilities of a child with a disability; a surgically implanted device is excluded.^[1] An AT service is any service that directly helps the child select, acquire or use a device.^[2] Districts must make sure AT devices and services are available when the student needs them as part of special education, related services or supplementary aids and services.^[3]

For how AT sits among the other services, see IEP services and minutes.

What counts as an AT service

The definition lists six kinds of AT service.^[2] Each is something a team may need to write into the IEP.

AT service	What it looks like at school
Evaluation of the student's needs, including a functional evaluation in the student's usual settings	An OT and AT specialist try 3 writing tools during real class assignments
Purchasing, leasing or otherwise getting the device	The district orders a speech-generating device after a trial
Selecting, designing, fitting, customizing, adapting, applying, maintaining, repairing or replacing	The SLP sets up vocabulary pages; the district repairs a broken switch
Coordinating AT with other therapies and services	The OT and SLP agree on the access method so both use the same set-up
Training or technical help for the student or the family	The parent learns to update the device and charge it
Training or technical help for professionals and others who work with the student	The para and teacher learn to model on the device during lessons

Where AT appears in the IEP

AT can show up in several places, and it should appear wherever it does a job.

Special factors. The team must consider whether the student needs AT devices and services.^[4] A checked box with no discussion is the weakest version. Write what was considered and why.
Present levels. Describe what the student does with and without the device, with data.
Goals. If the student is learning to use the device, write a goal for that skill. The assistive technology goals page has full wording.
Accommodations. Tools the student already uses well go here, such as text-to-speech for content reading. See the assistive technology accommodations list.
Services and supports for school personnel. AT services, such as staff training or device set-up time, go on the services page with frequency and minutes.^[5]

One student's AT decision, by date

This is a fictional, illustrative case.

Student: Priya, 6th grade, specific learning disability in written expression. Handwriting is slow and hard to read; spelling is at a 2nd grade level. Her ideas are strong when she speaks.

September 15. At the annual review, the team considers AT under special factors. Present levels: Priya writes 6 words per minute by hand on a 3-minute timed prompt, with 58% of words spelled correctly. Her oral retell of the same prompt has 40 words. The team agrees to an AT evaluation, with parent consent.

September 22 to October 17. The AT specialist and OT run a 4-week trial in Priya's ELA and science classes. Three tools are tried, each for 1 week, with the same 3-minute prompts:

Tool	Words per minute	Words spelled correctly
Handwriting (baseline)	6	58%
Keyboard with word prediction	11	81%
Speech-to-text	19	90%

October 20. The team meets. Priya says she does not want to talk out loud in class. The team picks keyboard with word prediction for in-class work and speech-to-text for longer assignments at home and in a quiet room. They write:

Accommodation: Laptop with word prediction for all written assignments over 3 sentences.
AT service: AT specialist training for the ELA, science and social studies teachers, 1 session of 30 minutes in October and a 15-minute follow-up in January.
AT service: OT, 2 sessions per month, 20 minutes, to teach keyboarding and word prediction use, through December.
Goal: Given a grade-level prompt and a laptop with word prediction, Priya will write 15 or more correctly spelled words per minute on a 3-minute probe across 3 consecutive weekly probes.

January 12. Probes show 12, 13 and 14 words per minute. The team keeps the plan and moves the OT sessions to monthly consultation.

Home use

Districts must allow school-purchased AT to be used at home or in other settings when the IEP team decides the student needs it there to receive a free appropriate public education, decided case by case.^[3] If Priya needs the laptop to finish assignments at home, the team writes that into the IEP. Many districts also have a device agreement form about care and loss.

Rules at a glance and where states differ

Topic	Federal rule	Where states and districts differ
Definition of AT device	Item, equipment or product system used to increase, maintain or improve function; not surgically implanted^[1]	Some states publish lists or tiers of common devices
AT services	Six types, from evaluation to staff training^[2]	Who does AT evaluations: some states use regional AT teams, others use district staff
Considering AT	Required for every student at each IEP meeting^[4]	State IEP forms ask the question differently
Home use	Case by case when needed for FAPE^[3]	Device loan agreements and liability rules vary
Paying for devices	District responsibility at no cost to parents; public benefits or insurance only under set rules, with parent consent^[6]	What state Medicaid programs cover for school devices varies
Device when the student moves	Not set federally	Some states allow devices to transfer with the student

Mistakes to avoid

Checking "AT not needed" without a reason. Note what was considered.
Writing the brand, not the function. "Text-to-speech software" survives a change of vendor; a brand name may not.
No training for staff. A device the teacher cannot support ends up in a backpack.
No data on whether it helps. Run a short trial with the same task across tools, as in Priya's case.

For communication devices, the AAC in the IEP guide covers the extra steps. The National Center on Accessible Educational Materials has guidance on accessible formats that often go with AT.^[7]

Frequently asked questions

Does a student need an evaluation before getting assistive technology?

Not always. The team must consider AT for every student, and simple tools can be added at a meeting. For complex devices, an AT evaluation, often a trial in real settings, helps the team pick the right tool.

Can the school require us to use our own device or insurance?

If the IEP team decides the student needs a device, the district provides it at no cost to the family. Public or private insurance can be used only under specific rules, including parent consent.

Is a calculator or laptop assistive technology?

It can be. Any item counts as AT when the team decides the student needs it to increase, maintain or improve function because of the disability. The same item may be general classroom equipment for other students.

Use it in IEP Atlas

Sources

34 CFR §300.5: Assistive technology device, Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School
34 CFR §300.6: Assistive technology service, Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School
34 CFR §300.105: Assistive technology, Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School
34 CFR §300.324: Development, review, and revision of IEP, Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School
34 CFR §300.320: Definition of individualized education program, Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School
34 CFR §300.154: Methods of ensuring services (Medicaid consent), Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School
The National Center on Accessible Educational Materials for Learning, CAST

Written and checked by the IEP Atlas editorial team under our editorial policy. This guide describes general practice and federal rules. It is not legal advice; your state may add requirements, and the IEP team makes the decisions for each student.