Generative AI, virtual reality, and beyond: A scoping review of digital assistive technologies for neurodivergent students in higher education

Resumen

Educational technology can positively impact neurodivergent students’ learning experiences. Neurodivergent students bring diverse cognitive and perceptual strengths to higher education, yet frequently encounter learning environments that were not designed with student diversity in mind. Digital assistive technologies offer potential to transform these environments — both through individual accommodation and through more universally accessible design. This scoping review therefore systematically maps and qualitatively synthesizes research published between 2015 and 2025 on digital assistive technologies for neurodivergent students in higher education. Searches across five databases identified 766 studies, of which 40 met the inclusion criteria. Findings indicate that research in this field has gained considerable momentum, particularly since the advent of generative AI, with AI-based tools featuring in 15 of the included studies. VR formed a second dominant technological strand (n=11). The identified technologies fell into three categories: tools supporting neurodivergent students’ learning (n=27), tools improving the selection of assistive technologies (n=10), and tools addressing bias by educating neurotypical peers (n=3). Most tools supported reading/writing (n=13) or study management (n=12), while fewer addressed attention challenges (n=4), social communication (n=5), or multiple barriers simultaneously (n=6). Most studies focused on individual accommodations or specific neurotypes. Future development should more fully incorporate Universal Design for Learning principles and prioritize tools that address functional differences shared across neurotypes. Access and scalability also remain concerns, particularly for resource-intensive technologies such as virtual reality. Further gaps include the concentration of research in the Global North, limited attention to postgraduate students, and the scarcity of (quasi )experimental and longitudinal studies.

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Cómo citar (APA 7)

Rempel, C., Heimann, K., & Prilop, C. N. (2026). Generative AI, virtual reality, and beyond: A scoping review of digital assistive technologies for neurodivergent students in higher education. https://doi.org/10.35542/osf.io/yc4g8_v1