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During interpersonal interactions, conversational moves can help people establishcommon ground ---a shared frame of reference to support communication. Neurodiverse conversation dyads that include autistic and non-autistic members can experience challenges in creating and maintaining such a shared frame of reference due to differing communication and cognitive styles. We conducted a design study to understand conversational patterns among neurodiverse dyads and then used those patterns to co-design concepts for supporting the creation and maintenance of common ground by those conversation pairs. Our study involved two activities with participants: (1) a paired interview with autistic adults and a trusted conversation partner that used a novel swimlane visual elicitation activity, and (2) a remote design study during which the autistic participants designed a game intended to visualize and support neurodiverse conversation dynamics. We found that communication technology can scaffold neurodiverse dyads in locating common ground by supporting crucial individual and joint decision-making; clarification of language and emotions; and embodied sense-making of identity, relationships, and shared information. This project generated insights related to two distinct aspects of designing assistive Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to support autistic individuals: (1) the ability for visual elicitation activities to help autistic individuals recognize interaction patterns, gain a deeper understanding of other's perspectives, and imagine more desirable alternatives, and (2) the importance of recognizing and supporting multi-dimensional aspects of communication practices (i.e., social, emotional, sensory) in establishing and maintaining shared points of reference for neurodiverse conversation dyads.
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This content will become publicly available on October 26, 2026
Adapting Design Workshops for Autistic Adults
Autism is a neurodevelopmental disability that impacts one’s social communication and interaction. When left unsupported, this can increase the amount of loneliness felt by autistic people. Communication technology, such as AAC, can be helpful in supporting social communication, especially when co-designed with autistic people. We conducted a series of design workshops to co-design a new AAC system specifically supporting social communication. In this paper, we focus on the accessibility issues that were identified when running our workshops and provide recommendations on how to improve the process. We found that it is critical to build support for information processing time into the workshops, include a variety of AAC stakeholders, and create a shared vocabulary between the workshop participants to make design workshops more accessible to autistic adults.
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- PAR ID:
- 10644018
- Publisher / Repository:
- ACM
- Date Published:
- ISBN:
- 9798400706769
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 1 to 5
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Location:
- Denver, CO
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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