Original title: Generative AI, virtual reality, and beyond: A scoping review of digital assistive technologies for neurodivergent students in higher education
Cassandra Rempel, Katrin Heimann, Christopher N. Prilop · September 2026
College classrooms are often not designed for neurodivergentDescribes people whose brains work differently from what is considered typical, such as those with autism, ADHD, or dyslexia. students, who process information and perceive the world in diverse ways. These students have valuable strengths, but typical university environments create barriers for them. To understand how digital tools can help, researchers reviewed forty studies published between 2015 and 2025. They looked at how digital assistive technologiesTools or devices that help people with disabilities perform tasks they might otherwise find difficult. help neurodivergent college students learn and navigate university life. The review showed that research in this field is growing quickly. Tools powered by artificial intelligence and virtual reality are leading this growth. Most investigated tools help students directly with reading, writing, and organizing their studies. Other tools help students choose the right technology or teach neurotypical peers to reduce bias. However, most tools only target single conditions or individual accommodations rather than universal designs that help everyone. Additionally, complex systems like virtual reality remain difficult to scale and access.
You walk into a huge hardware store looking for a specific tool. But the store is disorganized: tools are mixed, some are broken, labels are confusing. You have no idea what is available. In this paper, the researchers systematically searched through thousands of research articles, selected the relevant ones, and sorted them into three categories, so that anyone looking for digital help for students with different learning needs can see what exists and what is missing.
Neurodivergent students often face learning environments not built for their diverse strengths. Digital assistive tools, especially those using AI or VR, can provide personalized support and help educators design more inclusive classrooms. This review shows which tools are being studied and what remains missing, guiding better investments in educational technology.
The review is limited by a concentration of research in the Global North, a focus on undergraduate students, and a lack of experimental and longitudinal studies. Many tools are resource-intensive (e.g., VR) and target specific neurotypes rather than shared functional differences. Universal Design for Learning principles are rarely fully applied.
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Generative AI, virtual reality, and beyond: A scoping review of digital assistive technologies for neurodivergent students in higher education — Cassandra Rempel, Katrin Heimann, Christopher N. Prilop — EdArXiv — doi:10.35542/osf.io/yc4g8_v1
Abstract licence: CC BY
Explanation generated by Synthesis from the abstract — it is not the original paper. This is a preprint, so it hasn't necessarily been peer reviewed.