Today, schools are evolving to better integrate all student profiles, including those with special educational needs (DYS disorders, ADHD, ASD, language disorders, etc.). To promote their inclusion and academic success, many tools are now available, whether they are pedagogical solutions, adapted learning materials, or innovative digital tools.
In this article, we offer an overview of the essential resources to help these students learn better, thrive, and progress at their own pace.
Adapting the learning environment from the classroom
One of the first levers for action is the work environment. Simple adjustments can transform how a student interacts with educational content. The use of personalized printed materials (such as summary sheets, mind maps, or visual posters) can significantly aid memorization and understanding.
Moreover, DYS or ADHD students can benefit from a quiet workspace, noise-canceling headphones, or a visual schedule, all small adjustments that have a big impact on their concentration.
Physical tools not to be overlooked in class
In addition to digital tools, concrete material aids play a fundamental role in supporting learning. Easy to implement, they often allow for reducing cognitive fatigue, better organizing the workspace, and improving concentration.
Here is a selection of commonly used physical tools in class or at home:
Non-slip mats or slanted desks: useful for dyspraxic students to stabilize their notebook or tablet.
- A personalized binder: to facilitate students' personal organization
Reading guides or colored reading rulers: facilitate visual tracking for dyslexic students.
Ergonomic pens or triangular pencils: improve grip and reduce writing-related pain.
Lined paper with adapted line spacing: to facilitate handwriting, especially for children with graphic disorders.
Visual timers: help students keep track of time and manage activities more autonomously.
Noise-canceling headphones: ideal for hypersensitive students or those with attention disorders.
Fidgets and stress balls: allow some children to channel their restlessness without disturbing others.
Posture supports (dynamic cushions, modular seating): promote concentration by providing better physical comfort.
The use of these tools is not reserved for a specific type of disorder: their effectiveness depends on the student and the context. It is therefore essential to test, observe, and adjust according to actual needs.
Digital tools for individualized learning
The emergence of educational tablets, text-to-speech software, and cognitive remediation applications now allows for differentiated support.
Some digital tools offer exercises tailored to each student's cognitive abilities, with individualized progression. Platforms like COCO (for children), JOE (for teenagers and adults), or EDITH (for seniors), provide fun and educational activities based on cognitive stimulation, also useful for students with disabilities.
Voice dictation tools, intelligent spell checkers, or simplified reading applications are also valuable allies in daily life, especially for dyslexic or dyspraxic children.
The role of cooperation between teachers and families
Effective support also involves fluid and regular communication between the school, the family, and the healthcare professionals who follow the child. This cooperation is even more essential when the student has special educational needs, as it helps create a coherent framework between what happens in class, at home, and, if applicable, during rehabilitation sessions.
Exchanges between teachers and parents should be built on a foundation of mutual trust. It is about sharing observations, successes, but also the difficulties encountered, without judgment. Many tools today facilitate this dialogue: digital liaison notebooks, secure collaborative platforms, tracking notebooks, or dedicated mobile applications. These supports allow for recording the progress made, the adaptations implemented, or the strategies that work well for the child.
At the same time, the involvement of healthcare professionals such as speech therapists, occupational therapists, or neuropsychologists plays a valuable role in setting up personalized support plans (PAP) or personalized schooling projects (PPS). When all parties communicate effectively, it is easier to adjust goals, coordinate interventions, and offer the student a structured and reassuring framework, both at home and at school.
Promoting autonomy and self-confidence
The central objective of all the measures implemented remains the same: to strengthen students' autonomy and allow them to regain confidence in their abilities. For a child in difficulty, each success, even modest, can have a considerable positive effect on self-esteem. It is not about erasing particularities, but about providing tools that compensate for obstacles while highlighting strengths.
For example, a dyslexic child can follow the same lesson as their classmates if they benefit from a audio support or an adapted reading software. A dyspraxic student can present a history assignment orally instead of writing it, allowing them to demonstrate their knowledge without being penalized by motor difficulties.
These adjustments are not intended to give an advantage, but to restore equality of opportunity. By being equipped with the right tools, children can participate more actively in class life, ask questions, propose ideas, or help other classmates. This gradual initiative is essential for their personal development and contributes to overcoming the feeling of exclusion sometimes felt in a traditional school setting.
Autonomy does not develop overnight, but is built over time through successes and recognition received, both from teachers and peers. It is in this dynamic that adapted tools make perfect sense: they become the vectors of positive and lasting inclusion.
Teacher training, a key lever for inclusion
One of the determining factors in the success of students with special needs is the quality of teacher training. Although many professionals are already aware of the diversity of profiles in class, the realities on the ground require specific skills to adapt pedagogy, manage heterogeneity, and use inclusive tools wisely.
Continuing education on DYS disorders, ADHD, autism spectrum disorders (ASD), or behavioral disorders allows teachers to acquire concrete strategies: how to rephrase instructions, how to propose differentiated assessments, or how to adapt an activity for a struggling student. These trainings can be provided by academic institutions, but also by associations or platforms specialized in inclusive education.
A well-trained teaching team fosters a calmer classroom climate, where each student can progress at their own pace and feel recognized in their uniqueness. This also strengthens cohesion among the various actors (teachers, AESH, school psychologists), in a logic of co-construction around the child.
The role of peers in school inclusion
We often talk about adults in supporting students with special needs, but other students also play an important role. In an inclusive classroom, promoting mutual assistance, cooperation, and kindness among peers helps break stigmas and encourages a more tolerant view of difference.
Simple devices, such as tutoring pairs, collaborative workshops, or group educational games, help reinforce the integration of students with difficulties while valuing the richness of profiles in the class. By working together, students develop essential social skills: listening, patience, assistance, empathy.
Moreover, this approach benefits all students, not just those with specific needs. It contributes to building a more inclusive school culture, where everyone understands that learning does not follow a single model and that successes can take different forms.
