How are Autistic People Involved in the Design of Extended Reality Technologies? A Systematic Literature Review.
Nigel Newbutt, Noah Glaser, Marc Sonley Francois and 2 others
PMID 37715864WHAT IT FOUND
Autistic people were rarely co-designers of XR technologies.
When they were, their input improved usability and reduced anxiety. Most projects relied on teachers or parents instead. None of the studies let autistic people set the research questions.
Key findings
01Most included studies relied on stakeholder proxies like teachers or parents, rather than direct input from autistic individuals.
02Involving autistic people in the design process helped make prototypes easier to use and allowed participants to voice opinions they might otherwise struggle to express.
03No study included autistic people in creating the research questions or design methods.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The review only included studies published in English, which may exclude work from non-English speaking regions. It excluded 'gray' literature such as conference proceedings and dissertations, potentially missing recent co-design work. The definition of 'involvement' varied across studies, making it difficult to compare the depth of participation. Many of the included studies had very small sample sizes, limiting the generalizability of their findings.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that involving parents or teachers in the design process counts as involving autistic people. The review found that many studies relied on these proxies, and none allowed autistic individuals to set the research agenda, meaning the tools may still reflect neurotypical assumptions about what autistic people need.