You don’t need to be MacGyver to create your own low-tech AT

It was my task to go to the dollar store to find some ‘off the shelf’ low-tech assistive technology. It was a lot easier than I thought it was going to be, in fact the hard part was trying to pick just one item to focus on. In the end my partner and I picked a rather obvious choice. Our first item is a clipboard.

The clipboard may be an obvious choice but if you have never used them in your classroom I highly recommend buying a few. They are one dollar and can be found at almost any dollar store. The reason I can so highly recommend clipboards is because if you have any students in your class with ADHD you know having them work at a desk for long periods of time is almost impossible. Students with ADHD enjoy working in various positions. They enjoy working on the floor, standing-up or walking around. Using a clipboard allows these students to have a ‘portable desk’. Rather than getting frustrated with ADHD students needing to move around, allow them to do so with the use of a clipboard. For most students with ADHD they actually work better and are more productive when they are moving. It can help to reduce behavioral issues when students are able to stay focused. Allowing students to use clipboards facilitates learning and can be done for a very reasonable price.

I have also used clipboards with students who have fine and gross motor difficulties. For these students sitting at a desk can be difficult and sometimes painful. When you give students a clipboard to write on they can adjust their writing posture to allow for a more comfortable position.

My partner and I took the clipboard one step further and added a pencil on a string to the clipboard. This helps students who have difficulties with organization and can reduce wasted time while the student tries to locate a pencil.


There were lots of other items that we found at the dollars store that were ‘off the shelf’ low-tech assistive technology. Here is a list of some of these items:

Magnifying glass – could be used for visually impaired students
Floral Foam – could be used as a pencil holder for students with organization difficulties
Floating Puzzle – Had 3D shaped pieces for easier grasp for students with fine motor difficulties
Bucket and Clothespins – pincer grasp activities for fine motor control
Velcro baseball Mitt – could be used during PE for students with gross motor difficulties
Suction Bowl – for children who only have the use of one arm or who have difficulties with fine or gross motor control
Foam balls – can be used as stress balls for students with anxiety
Mirror – can be used for students with a non-verbal learning disability to improve their understanding of different facial expressions and emotions
Bead containers – can be used for sorting/ pincer grasp activities to improve fine motor control
Pipe cleaners – form letters to trace with hand can improve letter recognition
Velcro – can be used to Velcro a pencil to a desk to help students with organizational difficulties
Fly Swatter – can be used for students with mobility or communicational difficulties to point to want they want
Travel pillow –can help students with poor head control

The other items that my partner and I found at the dollar store to create our own low-tech assistive technology were Glad zip-lock bags, shaving cream and food coloring.


When you put shaving cream and food coloring in a zip-lock bag you can press your finger into the bag to create different designs and letters.



This low-tech assistive technology is great for students with fine motor control difficulties. For students with fine motor difficulties holding a pencil can be very painful and is hard to do for long periods of time, especially for younger students. Using the foam allows students to use their finger rather than a pencil to form different letters or words in the foam. This allows students to practice their letters as many times as they need to without requiring a scribe. This can be used for students who are working on letter and word formation. It is great to use because you can easily flatten out the foam and create a new letter or design. It’s a different activity from always using a pencil and paper to write letters and words and students find it’s a lot of fun. It’s also perfect for kinesthetic and visual learners.