Screen-Based Assistive Technology for Children Ages 0-5 with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities

Abstract

This evidence submission addresses a critical gap in the Department for Education's open call on early years screen time and usage: the systematic exclusion of children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) from the research base that informs screen time policy. The evidence presented here, drawn from 80+ peer-reviewed studies including 15+ randomised controlled trials and 20+ systematic reviews, demonstrates that screen-based technology is not merely permissible for young children with disabilities. For many, it is the only means of communication, learning, and social participation available to them. Vanderloo et al. (2025) represents the first systematic review to include children with disabilities in screen time research. The authors found that most prior studies explicitly exclude children with autism, ADHD, intellectual disabilities, and other neurodevelopmental conditions from their samples. This means that the evidence base currently informing screen time guidance does not account for the population most likely to benefit from screen-based interventions, and most likely to be harmed by blanket restrictions.