How to Request Assistive Technology in an IEP

Your child’s teacher says they “just need more practice” with writing. You have watched them spend an hour on 3 sentences. You have read about speech-to-text, word prediction or a simple pencil grip, and you wonder why nobody has suggested any of it at the IEP table.

Here is the good news: under federal special education law, the IEP team is not allowed to skip that question. This guide explains what the law actually requires, how to ask for an assistive technology (AT) evaluation, the wording that keeps a request from getting lost, and what to do when the team agrees to a device that never arrives.

This is general information about US special education rules, not legal advice. State procedures vary, so check your state’s parent guide too.

What counts as assistive technology in an IEP

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) splits AT into 2 parts:

• AT devices: any item, piece of equipment or product system, bought off the shelf, modified or customized, that is used to increase, maintain or improve a child’s functional capabilities (34 CFR 300.5). Surgically implanted medical devices, such as cochlear implants, are excluded.
• AT services: anything that helps the child select, get or use a device (34 CFR 300.6). That includes evaluating the child’s needs, buying or leasing the device, fitting and maintaining it, and training the child, family and staff.

That second part matters. A tablet in a backpack is not enough if nobody shows your child or the teacher how to use it.

AT also does not have to be high-tech. In its January 2024 guidance, the US Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) and Office of Educational Technology listed low-cost examples such as binder clips, sticky notes and high-contrast keyboard stickers, alongside built-in features like text-to-speech and large text.

If your child has dyslexia, our guide to assistive technology for dyslexia walks through reading and writing tools in more detail.

What the law requires the IEP team to do

3 rules give you real leverage:

1. The team must consider AT every time. IDEA requires the IEP team to consider whether the child needs AT devices and services each time it develops, reviews or revises the IEP (34 CFR 300.324(a)(2)(v)). OSEP’s 2024 guidance calls the idea that AT only comes up at some meetings a myth.
2. The district pays. If the team decides AT is needed for your child to receive a free appropriate public education (FAPE), the district must provide and maintain it at no cost to you. OSEP states plainly that a lack of funds is not a reason to deny needed AT.
3. It can go home. District-purchased AT may be used at home or elsewhere if the IEP team decides that is needed for FAPE (34 CFR 300.105(b)). Homework counts.

Key takeaway: The question at an IEP meeting is not “Can we afford AT?” It is “Does this child need AT to make progress?” If the answer is yes, the district must provide the device and the training, and both belong in the written IEP.

Do you need an AT evaluation first?

Not always. OSEP’s guidance says an AT evaluation can be part of AT services but is not required before every device. A graphic organizer, for example, rarely needs formal testing.

Ask for an evaluation when:

• The need is complex, such as a nonspeaking child who may need an AAC device
• Several tools have been tried informally without success
• The team disagrees about what will work
• Your child is moving to a new school level with very different demands

IDEA describes this as a functional evaluation in the child’s customary environment. In practice, a specialist (often a speech-language pathologist, occupational therapist or district AT specialist) observes your child doing real tasks, tries out tools and reports what works. It can be part of an initial evaluation, a reevaluation or a standalone evaluation. The district needs your written consent before it starts.

If you disagree with the district’s evaluation, you can ask for an independent educational evaluation (IEE) at public expense under 34 CFR 300.502. The district must then, without unnecessary delay, either pay for the IEE or file for a due process hearing to defend its own evaluation.

Step by step: how to make the request

Step 1: Gather evidence before the meeting

Write down specific tasks, not labels. “Takes 45 minutes to copy 5 math problems” is more useful than “struggles with writing.” Collect:

• Work samples, especially unfinished or illegible ones
• Notes on homework time and frustration
• Teacher comments or emails
• Any outside evaluation, such as from an OT or private psychologist
• Tools that already help at home, like dictation on a phone

Step 2: Put the request in writing

Email the case manager or special education coordinator and keep a copy. Written requests create a dated record. A short template:

“I am requesting that the IEP team consider assistive technology devices and services for [child] under 34 CFR 300.324(a)(2)(v). I am concerned about [specific tasks]. I am also requesting an assistive technology evaluation, and I give consent once I receive the consent form. Please include an AT specialist or someone with AT expertise at the next IEP meeting.”

Step 3: Use precise wording in the meeting

Teams respond better to clear, legal-but-calm phrasing. Useful lines:

• “What AT did the team consider, and why was each option accepted or rejected?”
• “Can we write the specific device or feature into the IEP, not just ‘access to technology’?”
• “Who will train [child], me and the teachers, and by what date?”
• “Will the device go home for homework?”
• “What will [child] use while the device is being ordered?”

Step 4: Check what gets written down

OSEP’s guidance confirms that AT decisions must appear in the IEP itself. Look for:

• The device or feature named specifically, or by function (for example, “text-to-speech software on a school-issued laptop”)
• Where it is used: classroom, homework, testing, transportation
• AT services, including training for staff and family
• Testing accommodations, if your child uses AT on state assessments
• Interim supports if the device is not available yet

Step 5: Ask for prior written notice if the answer is no

If the team refuses your request, ask for prior written notice (PWN). Under 34 CFR 300.503, the district must give you written notice when it refuses to change the provision of FAPE, including what it refused, why, what data it relied on and what other options it considered. A written refusal is much easier to challenge than a verbal “we don’t do that here.”

What to do if the device never arrives

This is one of the most common complaints parents raise. The IEP says “speech-to-text software,” and 3 months later your child still does not have it.

IDEA requires services in the IEP to be made available as soon as possible after the IEP is developed (34 CFR 300.323(c)(2)). OSEP’s guidance adds that if a device will take time to order or customize, the team should provide interim AT in the meantime. If delays hurt your child’s progress, the team may decide compensatory services are owed.

Escalate in this order:

1. Email the case manager with the IEP date, the missing item and a request for a delivery date.
2. Ask for an IEP meeting if you do not get a firm date within about 2 weeks. Request interim supports and discuss compensatory services.
3. Contact the district special education director in writing and copy the case manager.
4. Use formal options if needed: mediation, a state complaint or a due process complaint.

The district also cannot quietly swap in a different tool. OSEP notes that IT departments are a partner, but the IEP team decides what device is needed. “IT hasn’t approved it” is not a valid reason to ignore the IEP.

Using your own device instead of the school’s

Some families prefer their child to use a personal phone or tablet. OSEP’s guidance says this can work if the parent and district agree, but the district still carries responsibility for AT in the IEP. Get the arrangement in writing, including that it is voluntary, that you can switch to a school device at any time, who handles repairs and what training staff will receive.

Ask how student data on any app is handled, too. Our guides to student data privacy and FERPA and school Chromebook monitoring cover the privacy questions worth raising.

Where to find outside help

You do not have to do this alone:

• Parent Training and Information Centers: every state has at least one federally funded center that helps families with IEPs.
• State AT Act programs: each state and territory has a program funded under the Assistive Technology Act that offers device demonstrations and short-term loans, so your child can try tools before the meeting.
• Your child’s outside providers: a letter from an OT, SLP or doctor describing functional needs carries weight.

For a broader look at where classroom technology is heading, see AI tutors and the future of edtech. You can look up unfamiliar terms in our glossary.

Conclusion

Requesting AT works best when you are specific and you write things down. Describe the tasks your child struggles with, ask the team in writing to consider AT and to evaluate if needed, and make sure the device, the training and any home use are named in the IEP. If the team says no, ask for prior written notice. If the device never arrives, escalate step by step. The law is on your child’s side, but the paperwork is what makes it work.

Sources

• US Department of Education, OSEP and OET: Myths and Facts Surrounding Assistive Technology Devices and Services (January 2024) — consideration at every IEP, funding, evaluations, home use, delays and personal devices
• 34 CFR 300.105: Assistive technology — district duty to provide AT and home use
• 34 CFR 300.324: Development of the IEP — requirement to consider AT needs
• 34 CFR 300.502: Independent educational evaluation — right to an IEE at public expense
• 34 CFR 300.503: Prior written notice — written notice when a district refuses a change
• 34 CFR 300.152: State complaint procedures — 60-day time limit for state complaints