Assistive Technology Solutions to Support Math

Preservice educators need to determine the underlying barrier resulting in math difficulty for a student. For students with dyslexia or vision impairments, the difficulty with completing math tasks may stem from challenges in accessing print in math texts, from directions to word problems. For students with writing difficulties arising from dysgraphia or motor impairments,  math success may be impeded when students write out calculations or descriptions of their solutions.

Teachers can use work samples to identify if writing impacts math, looking for signs such as when writing is illegible, takes up an increased amount of space on a page, or when difficulty with aligning problems on a page results in incorrect calculations. Teachers can use no-tech and low-tech solutions first, such as using graphing paper rather than traditional lined paper to support writing size and alignment. Traditional lined paper can be turned sideways to create vertical lines to scaffold lining up problems. High-tech AT solutions include software such as Equatio and OneNote Math Assistant. Barriers specific to math can be observed with difficulty completing computations, remembering basic facts, creating mental models, and problem-solving. Educators benefit from completing error analysis for math problems to narrow down the cause of the issue and select effective solutions.

However, it is important to pair the use of AT devices with effective teaching methodologies when supporting students' math learning. For example, implementing explicit instruction strategies, such as modeling and thinking aloud, supported by various apps and digital tools, can be beneficial to students with and without math learning disabilities. Below are several resources and tools that could support teachers and students in addressing these challenges in relation to math learning.