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Background When transitioning from high school, autistic job seekers often navigate three different pathways to employment: University, Job Coaching, and Self-Directed (defined as those job seekers who independently complete the job search process, without formal support). Assistive technology may aid job seekers throughout the job seeking process. The aim of this study is to learn more about the challenges and assistive technology that autistic job seekers encounter while navigating these three different employment pathways. Methods Qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted with fifteen stakeholders in the United States, autistic job seekers and support personnel, within each pathway of the hiring process to gather information regarding the challenges autistic job seekers encounter, and the assistive technology they use to address those challenges. Results From a thematic analysis of these interviews, we found that autistic job seekers along each pathway commonly move through the following, phases of the hiring process or “checkpoints”: resume building, networking, job search, job application, and interviews. Autistic job seekers also face challenges within each checkpoint, such as knowing when and what to disclose; self-efficacy, anxiety, and communication challenges; and a lack of communication from potential employers. We also learned that some self-directed autistic job seekers, when compared to those in the University and Job Coaching pathways, may not be using assistive technologies available in the job search process. From our interviews, we also learned the types of assistive technology that autistic job seekers and assistants use in the job seeking process which can be classified as organizational tools, connectivity tools, and visual media tools. Conclusion and implications Our findings revealed a necessity to connect self-directed autistic job seekers to assistive technology available. Based on these results, we present suggestions for future research and design suggestions for developing assistive technology for autistic job seekers. What this paper adds? We define three career pathways for autistic job seekers: University, Job Coaching and Self Directed. To learn more about the hiring process for autistic job seekers and the assistive technology used within each pathway, we conducted a need-finding study. As a contribution of this study, we discovered challenges along each checkpoint in the hiring process, as well as various forms of assistive technology used to support autistic job seekers when encountering those challenges. For our second contribution, we use the information from these interviews to provide suggestions for the design of future assistive technology within the hiring process, potentially supporting the self-efficacy of autistic job seekers, during this process. 

Autistic children face significant challenges in vocal communication and social interaction, often leading to social isolation. There is evidence that Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) offers support to mitigate these challenges, enabling them to communicate with non-vocal means through forms of AAC, such as speech-generation devices (SGDs). However, the adoption and use of SGDs are hindered by several factors, including the large amount of practice required to learn to use SGDs and the limited options for highly engaging social learning contexts. Our study introduces the novel approach of using SGDs as game controller for digital and interactive games. With three design goals guiding our work, we conducted a Wizard-of-Oz formative case study with five participants aged 3-5 years, who were learning to use their SGD. We simulated a digital coloring game, integrating the speech-generated output of the participant's SGD to function as the game's controller. From this case study, we observed that all participants engaged with the game using their SGD for at least one turn, and two participants also engaged in emerging joint attention responses with the game and game's facilitator. This paper discusses these findings and contributes directions for future research, with suggestions for the design of future SGD-controlled games and exploration of social connection and collaboration between autistic children who use AAC and their caregivers, siblings, and peers.