A closer look at the role of caregivers in Co-designing everyday technology for autistic young adults: A scoping review

Assistive technologies designed through co-design hold promise for enhancing independence and quality of life for autistic people. By actively involving stakeholders in the development process, co-design improves the relevance of assistive technologies and empowers stakeholders by providing them with a greater sense of control. Although stakeholders are increasingly involved in co-design, the involvement of caregivers in the co-design of everyday technology, representing their own needs rather than solely representing autistic end-users, is limited, despite caregivers frequently interacting with these technologies. It is essential to incorporate their preferences and wishes into the design process. The purpose of this scoping review is to explore the role of caregivers in co-designing everyday technologies with autistic young adults, as reflected in the current literature. This research provides insights into the extent and way caregivers contribute to the co-design of everyday technologies. We systematically queried seven databases, which returned 863 records after removing duplicates. Guided by the PRISMA-ScR approach, we selected 28 studies. The findings indicate that caregivers are minimally involved in the co-design of everyday technologies. If they are involved at all, it is mainly as proxies for autistic people. Future research should involve caregivers as key stakeholders when co-designing everyday technology.