Supporting Autistic Children and Children with ADHD Through More Inclusive Learning

A learning activity can be simple to open and still be difficult to access. The instructions may ask a child to remember too much at once. A sound may arrive unexpectedly. A task may require a spoken answer when another response would show understanding just as clearly. Sometimes the barrier is in the way an activity is presented, rather than in the subject being taught.

At JASOTO, we want our children's learning project to take these differences seriously. Our ambition is to develop accessible, enjoyable activities that give more children a comfortable way to participate, including autistic children and children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, commonly called ADHD.

The current JASOTO Kids pilot provides free introductory French and Spanish activities. It is an early educational resource, not a specialist autism or ADHD programme, a diagnostic tool or a treatment. This article explains the inclusive direction we would like to pursue and offers practical questions adults can use when considering a learning activity for an individual child.

Begin with the child rather than a fixed checklist

Autism and ADHD are distinct, and neither label tells an adult everything about a child's experience. Children have their own interests, communication preferences and support needs. Some children are both autistic and have ADHD. A useful starting point is to understand the learner in front of you, rather than assume a diagnosis predicts exactly how they will respond.

The National Autistic Society's introduction to autism describes differences in communication, interests and behaviour, while recognising the range of autistic experiences. The NHS explanation of ADHD in children describes differences involving attention, activity and impulse control. These resources provide background; they do not replace an individual understanding of a child.

For a learning session, ask practical questions. What helps this child understand an instruction? How do they show that they need a pause? Which parts of a similar activity have they enjoyed before? What would they prefer to avoid? The answers can guide a more thoughtful introduction than a generic promise that a product is suitable for everyone.

Inclusion is a design responsibility

When a child struggles with an activity, the first response should not automatically be to demand more effort. It may be worth checking the wording, layout, response method or amount of information presented. A resource should make its purpose understandable and its controls predictable.

For JASOTO Kids, this means an ambition to build from clear instructions and manageable steps. We want the learning goal to remain visible, so the child does not spend most of the session working out what the interface expects. We also want adults to understand where their support might be useful.

These are design principles and development intentions, not a claim that the current pilot meets every accessibility need. A resource earns confidence through observation, testing and improvement. Describing it as inclusive should involve a continuing willingness to identify barriers and change them.

The same question can guide adults at home or school: can the activity adapt to the learner, rather than requiring the learner to tolerate every part of the activity unchanged?

Make the next step clear

An instruction can be technically correct yet unnecessarily demanding. “Read all the words, remember their meanings, hide the answers and then complete the quiz” contains several actions. For some learners, presenting those actions separately may make the task easier to approach.

An adult could begin with one instruction: look at this word. After that, introduce its meaning. Then decide together whether to look at another example. The educational content has not changed; the route through it has become more explicit.

The NHS includes clear instructions given one at a time among possible support strategies for children with ADHD. It also advises discussing appropriate adjustments with a school's special educational needs coordinator, or SENCO. This supports an individual approach rather than a universal formula.

For our future development, we would like clarity to be checked at the level of each action. A child should not need to remember a long sequence simply to begin practising. Where an explanation is necessary, it should sit close to the part of the activity it describes.

Think carefully about sensory experiences

The National Autistic Society's sensory processing guidance explains that autistic people can experience sensory input differently, including being more or less sensitive to sounds, light and other sensations. The practical implication is that a cheerful design for one learner may feel uncomfortable to another.

When introducing an online activity, preview it before inviting the child to begin. Consider whether there are unexpected sounds, visually busy areas or changes the child may want explained. Where controls are available, explore them together. Do not assume that more stimulation automatically means more enjoyment.

The room also contributes to the experience. A television nearby, reflections on a screen or an uncomfortable seat may matter as much as the page itself. Ask the child what they notice, using their preferred way of communicating. An adult's idea of a calm space may differ from the child's.

We would like future JASOTO Kids development to give careful attention to predictable presentation and user choice. That ambition should be evaluated with learners, rather than decided solely by what looks appealing to a designer.

Allow more than one way to answer

A child may understand a word without wanting to say it aloud. Another may enjoy speaking but find writing difficult. If the aim is to recognise meaning, pointing to an option or selecting a matching picture might provide useful evidence of understanding.

Adults can distinguish the learning objective from the response format. If the objective is spoken pronunciation, speaking may be relevant, with appropriate support and choice. If the objective is recognising vocabulary, a spoken performance may not be necessary. This distinction prevents an unrelated demand from overshadowing the actual task.

The JASOTO Kids page describes participation options for its pilot. Adults should review those options and decide whether the activity fits the child. There is no need to force a response simply because another learner would be comfortable giving it.

Our ambition is to carry this flexibility into future activities. We want children to have meaningful ways to participate, while keeping the purpose of each task clear. Different response methods should support understanding rather than become a less valued version of the lesson.

Use a manageable amount of work

A short activity can still be too much on a difficult day. Equally, a child who is deeply interested may want to continue exploring. The useful question is not whether every learner can finish the same amount, but whether the activity remains appropriate for that child at that time.

Before beginning, agree on a small starting point where possible. That might be one example or a few minutes together. Explain how the child can pause. Avoid treating a break as something that must be earned by completing an uncomfortable task first.

The NHS lists dividing tasks into smaller periods with breaks as one possible adjustment for ADHD. The specific arrangement should reflect the child and any support already agreed with their school or professionals. An online article cannot prescribe the right session length for an individual learner.

Within our project, we want short activities to create flexibility, not a new pressure to complete a particular number. A useful resource should make returning possible without presenting every interruption as failure.

Make room for interests and choice

Interests can provide a helpful starting point for conversation. A child who enjoys animals may be curious about animal words. Another may like numbers, maps or patterns. Beginning with something meaningful to the learner can make the purpose of an activity easier to explain.

That does not mean using a favourite interest to persuade a child to tolerate distress. Choice should be genuine. If neither of two activities feels manageable, an adult can offer a pause or another approach rather than insist that selecting an option is compulsory.

For the current pilot, adults can explore the available material beforehand and identify a possible starting point. They can also create simple related activities away from the device, such as matching written words to drawings, if that suits the learner.

As JASOTO Kids develops, we would like feedback to help us understand which choices are useful and which make the page harder to navigate. More options are not automatically better. The aim is meaningful control without unnecessary complexity.

Treat feedback as information rather than judgement

A quiz response describes what happened in one moment. It does not measure a child's worth, effort or overall ability. Before interpreting an incorrect answer, consider whether the child understood the instruction, could comfortably select the option and wanted to continue.

An adult might revisit the example and ask whether another explanation would help. They could offer to complete an item together or leave it for another session. A mistake can guide the next teaching step without becoming a public event or a source of embarrassment.

In future development, we want feedback to be understandable and respectful. We would like the learning experience to encourage another attempt when appropriate, while recognising that a child may prefer to stop. We are not announcing a clinically tested reward system or claiming that a particular feedback style works for all neurodivergent learners.

At home and school, specific observations can keep the conversation grounded. “You checked the example again” describes an action. It gives the child clearer information than a broad judgement about being good or bad at languages.

A practical example of adapting a language activity

Imagine an adult introducing three new words. This is an illustrative scenario, not a report about a JASOTO user or a claim of measured results. Before the session, the adult checks the page and prepares a way for the child to indicate a pause.

The adult introduces one word and its meaning, then waits. The child chooses to point rather than speak. They look at a second word, but the child begins to disengage. Instead of moving automatically to the quiz, the adult offers a break and later returns to the first example.

On another day, the same child may prefer to explore all three words. The difference does not need to be interpreted as success followed by failure. The adult is adjusting the amount and response method while maintaining a clear learning purpose.

This example illustrates the kind of flexibility we want our project to support. It does not show that a particular method improves autism or ADHD symptoms. The goal is a more accessible educational interaction, shaped by the child's response and the adult's judgement.

Work alongside the people who know the child

An online resource is one part of a child's wider learning environment. Parents, carers, teachers and support staff may already have approaches that help the child participate. Introducing another activity should take those existing arrangements into account.

For school use, discuss the resource with the relevant teacher or SENCO where appropriate. Ask how it fits the learner's current goals and whether the response demands are suitable. The person who knows the child's classroom experience may identify a barrier that is not obvious from a quick look at the page.

At home, useful observations can be shared without turning every session into a formal report. For example, an adult might mention that the child preferred two choices to a long list, or wanted instructions shown in writing. Focus on what happened rather than inferring a diagnosis or a broad conclusion from one activity.

If you have concerns about a child's development or support needs, discuss them with appropriate education or health professionals. JASOTO Kids is not a route for assessment and should not delay seeking individual advice.

Keep access affordable without overstating the offer

Cost is one barrier we want to remove from children's learning. The current pilot is free to use, and our ambition is to protect a free starting point as the project grows. We want families to be able to explore a learning activity without being asked to buy specialist support from JASOTO.

However, free availability does not establish that a resource is suitable for a particular child. Adults still need clear information about its scope, content and limitations. The present pilot introduces French and Spanish; it is not a comprehensive provision for special educational needs and disabilities.

We also recognise that access involves more than price. Reading demands, device controls and the surrounding environment can all affect participation. Our development goals therefore include understanding those barriers rather than relying on the word “free” to explain the whole value of the project.

Visit the live pilot to assess what is available now. Treat future ambitions in this article as a direction for development, not as a list of features already delivered.

Listen to children and respect their privacy

A child should have a meaningful voice in deciding whether an activity feels comfortable. That voice may be expressed through words, choices, gestures or another familiar communication method. Adults should be willing to notice uncertainty and discomfort, rather than only asking for feedback after a session is complete.

For our project, we would like feedback to focus on barriers and useful changes. Which instruction was confusing? Was the next step easy to find? Did the child have a comfortable way to respond? Those questions can produce practical insights without requesting a detailed account of a child's diagnosis or personal history.

If you contact JASOTO, please describe the issue without sharing unnecessary identifying information about a child. General examples are often enough to explain a design problem. Schools and families should use their usual privacy practices when discussing learners.

The Kids page explains the current pilot's data arrangements. Review that information directly before using the resource, particularly on a shared device. Clear boundaries are part of a trustworthy educational experience.

What responsible progress would look like

We want future progress to mean more than publishing additional lessons. It should include understanding where learners struggle with the presentation, reviewing educational content and making improvements that can be explained clearly. An attractive interface is not enough evidence that an activity is accessible.

Where possible, we would like development to be informed by autistic people, people with ADHD, families and education professionals. That is an ambition for participation, not a claim that a formal advisory group or specialist partnership already exists.

Any future claim about educational outcomes would require appropriate evaluation. Any claim about clinical benefit would require a different level of evidence and expertise. For now, our aim is to describe the project accurately and develop its educational usefulness responsibly.

The question we want to keep asking is practical: does this change give a child a clearer, more comfortable way to engage with the learning? That is a stronger guide than assuming more animation, more competition or more time on a website always represents progress.

Questions about autism, ADHD and JASOTO Kids

Is JASOTO Kids designed as an autism or ADHD treatment?

No. It is an early language-learning pilot. Our ambition is to improve accessibility, but we do not claim that it treats either condition or provides specialist clinical support.

Can an autistic child or a child with ADHD try it?

An adult can preview the activities and decide whether they are appropriate for the individual child. Participation should be flexible, and the child should have a comfortable way to pause or stop.

Does a child need to speak aloud?

Adults can review the participation guidance on the pilot page and consider the purpose of the activity. Recognising meaning does not always require a spoken response. Individual communication preferences should be respected.

Where can families find reliable background information?

The NHS ADHD guide and the National Autistic Society provide useful starting points. A child's school and relevant professionals can advise about individual support.

Help us make learning more welcoming

Children deserve to be understood as individuals, with interests, strengths and support needs that cannot be reduced to a label. Our ambition for JASOTO Kids is to make free learning increasingly approachable while being honest about the project's current stage.

Explore JASOTO Kids with an adult, consider whether one small activity suits your learner and share practical feedback with JASOTO. Clearer instructions, genuine choices and respect for the child are worthwhile places to begin.