Inclusion of Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Software Engineering
- 1. Universidad del Bío-Bío
- 2. Instituto de Tecnología para la Innovación en Salud y Bienestar - Departamento de Informática, Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María
- 3. Nucleo Milenio en Sociomedicina - Centro de Investigación en Sociedad y Salud, Escuela de Psicología, Facultad de Ciencias Sociales y Artes, Universidad Mayor
Description
This repository contains the template, figures, tables and search protocol of the manuscript named "Inclusion of Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Software Engineering".
This study was designed and published by the following authors:
- Gastón Márquez
- Michelle Pacheco
- Hernán Astudillo
- Carla Taramasco
- Esteban Calvo
The documents and files in the repository are described below:
- Images.zip: This file contains all images that explain both the search process and the results obtained in the review.
- Tables.zip: This file contains the source code for the tables described in the manuscript.
- Template.csv: This document summarizes the metadata of all the primary studies identified in the research.
- Study protocol.pdf: This document summarizes the review protocol used in the study for the purpose of replicability of the results.
Abstract
Context
Software Engineering is a discipline that is concerned with the efficient, effective, and systematic development of software. Satisfying these characteristics requires active engagement of all members of the software development team with full respect for their skills and abilities, including those with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The characteristics of individuals with ASD provide new perspectives for their inclusion in software engineering. However, there is little systematic evidence regarding the main challenges and possibilities for the inclusion of individuals with ASD.
Objective
This study aims to identify, characterize, and describe barriers, facilitators, and methodological proposals described by the community to include individuals with ASD in the discipline of Software Engineering.
Methods
We designed and conducted a systematic multivocal literature review to explore the evidence in both academic and grey literature concerning the inclusion of individuals with ASD in Software Engineering, focusing on identifying facilitators, barriers, and proposals.
Results
We obtained 34 primary studies from which we identified the main facilitators of motivation to learn new skills, attention to detail, and the ability to report and visualize patterns.In contrast, the main barriers detected were communication, a lack of neurodivergent computational thinking, and sensory integration. Additionally, we identified and classified four solutions that allow the inclusion of individuals with ASD.
Conclusions
This study describes the main factors to be considered for the inclusion of individuals with ASD when assigning roles, tasks, and responsibilities associated with software development.