AI Tools for Inclusive Schools

Welcome to The Universal Sandpit.
A collection of AI-powered inclusive education tools designed to support teachers and students.

For Teachers

🎯 Engagement
Strengths and Interests
Find ways to incorporate student strengths and interests into your teaching.
🧠 Executive Function
Task Analysis
Analyse tasks for executive function demands and get scaffolding ideas.
🔭 Reflection
Reflective Lens
Generate neurodiversity-affirming questions to reflect on challenging situations.
📚 Lesson Planning
UDL Lesson Planner
Generate inclusive lesson plans using Universal Design for Learning principles.
🖼️ Visual Supports
Visual Supports Planner
Get ideas for using visual teaching resources in your lessons.
📊 Differentiation
Differentiation Levels
Create an assessment rubric with five levels of instruction.
🔗 Skill Teaching
Skill Chaining
Generate forward or backward chaining steps for teaching skills.
✏️ Assignments
Assignment Helper
Turn assignment instructions into a clear, structured plan.
💬 Social Learning
Social Script Generator
Create social narratives to support students with daily goals.
📋 Inclusive Planning
Lesson Companion
Upload or paste a lesson and get a one-page guide of neurodiversity-affirming supports.
✅ Visual Scaffolds
Step Cards
Turn any lesson into a printable, laminate-ready visual sequence that supports task focus at the desk.
🌅 Responsive Teaching
New Day
Describe a repeat challenging behaviour and get a fresh plan: what it may be telling you, what to teach next, and what to try tomorrow.

For Students

💭 Task Planning
Floating Thoughts
Break big tasks into small chunks and organise them your way.
🛠️ Multi-Tool
Student Multi-Tool
Get help with school tasks, concepts, or social situations.
🚀 Task Initiation
First Strings
Gentle prompts to help you find the first thread when starting a new task.
💡 Learning
Concept Explainer
Get any concept explained in simple, age-appropriate language.
🥄 Self-Care
Spoon Theory Planner
Plan your day by balancing tasks and self-care activities.
🌱 Emotional Regulation
Pathway
Name how you're feeling, choose where you want to go, and find practical steps to get there.

🌤️ Focus & Body-Doubling
Alongside
A fully customisable companion that sits at the desk and works alongside you — with a timer, background sounds, gentle ambient nudges, and your real-world weather outside the window. It can help to work alongside someone who is doing the same work as you - give it a go, you can put it into full screen mode, too. (Question: can you find the secret characters?)

These tools use AI to generate ideas and strategies to support a few common inclusive learning needs. They are experimental - see how you go and get in touch with me if you have any thoughts or feedback. Please use your own experience, insight and ethics when using them: results will vary. Tinker and play.

About

Craig Smith

Educator & Consultant

Craig is a teacher and consultant for special education, accessibility and technology. He is currently a national manager of an Australian autism education project and has in recent years delivered seminars in Dubai, United Nations workshops in Shanghai, masterclasses in South Africa and Singapore, and speaking tours of New Zealand. Outside of education he is a recognised composer, author and photographer. Craig lives in Hamilton (Newcastle, NSW) with his wife and two children.

Conference Presentations

🎤 Conference Talk
Human-Centred Approaches to AI
Supporting neurodivergent minds in the classroom. Positive Schools.
▶ Watch recording
🎤 Conference Talk
Strengths-Based Play and Learning
Using AI to support inclusive creativity. Tasmania.
▶ Watch recording
🎯 TEDx Talk
Rhythm, Insight, Play
A model for supporting executive functioning with AI. TEDxCooksHill.
▶ Watch recording

Resources

📝 Journal
Quarterly Substack
My free journal exploring AI, neurodiversity, psychogeography, and philosophy.
🎯 Framework
Rhythm, Insight, Play
AI-fuelled routines organised around executive functioning, trend analysis, and creative experimentation.
→ Explore
📚 Library
Prompts and Projects
A library of generative AI prompts to support educators across different domains of inclusive teaching.
→ Browse prompts
🎓 Transition Support
AI for Neurodivergent Teens
Resources for secondary students transitioning to university or TAFE, supporting executive functioning needs.
→ Explore
🧰 Guide
Ten Inclusive Strategies
A practical toolbox of inclusive education strategies for pre-service teachers.
→ Read guide