Learning Access Adaptation Sheet

Companion to using AI to support a neurodivergent learner, without diagnosing anyone.

Do not use this sheet, or any AI tool, to suggest or confirm a diagnosis. This is a task-level adaptation tool, not a clinical assessment or an individual accommodation decision. Do not paste schoolwork or a child’s writing into a consumer model merely because names were removed; the content can remain personal, copyrighted, confidential or re-identifiable. Use only a school-approved tool and account under the applicable consent and retention rules, or perform the adaptation locally.

Task: ____________________________________________ Date: ____________________

Step 1: name the barrier specifically

Not “struggles with X” — where, exactly, does the task get hard? Ask the learner directly.

Step 2: state the outcome you must preserve

What skill is this task actually meant to build or measure?

Does the planned adaptation change how the learner reaches this outcome (augmentation — keep it) or what outcome gets reached (substitution — redesign it)?

Step 3: design the smallest adaptation

Barrier pattern	Adaptation idea
Dense text, comprehension fine when heard	Text-to-speech on the same unchanged content
Multi-step instructions, loses the thread	Approved tool proposes one-step formatting; an adult verifies every word, condition and sequence
Difficulty initiating a writing task	If the teacher permits it, use neutral questions or an empty sentence frame; do not generate assessed sentences or ideas
Overwhelm from a long worksheet	Candidate chunk boundaries; an adult verifies content, order, cues and assessed difficulty are unchanged

Adaptation chosen: ____________________________________________

Teacher/school rule checked
Original and adapted versions compared exactly by a responsible adult
No assessed skill, answer cue, condition or required content was removed or supplied

Step 4: learner feedback

Ask directly: “did that make it easier, harder, or about the same?”

Learner’s answer: ____________________________________________

Step 5: stop rule

What would tell you this adaptation is no longer the right fit?

Revisit date: ____________________ Framed as: “let’s see if this is still the right fit,” not “let’s see if you still need this.”

Log across tasks

Task	Barrier	Outcome preserved	Adaptation	Learner feedback	Revisit date

AI homework help vs. cheating — the same outcome-preservation discipline applied to academic-integrity decisions.
CAST Universal Design for Learning Guidelines — the framework this sheet’s barrier/outcome distinction is drawn from.