Online Prototyping for Digital Skills and Career Aspiration in Adolescents with Autism and Intellectual Disabilities

Online Prototyping for Digital Skills and Career Aspiration in Adolescents with Autism and Intellectual Disabilities | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Online Prototyping for Digital Skills and Career Aspiration in Adolescents with Autism and Intellectual Disabilities Almagul Assainova, Gulbatima Anuar This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6403096/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract This study emphasizes the importance of IT education for adolescents with Autism and Intellectual Disabilities, facilitating their integration into STEM professions. Given the limited research on career guidance and employment for this group, a quasi-experiment was conducted with three adolescents who underwent a two-month online prototyping training program aimed at developing software creation skills. The results demonstrated significant improvements in technical competencies and increased engagement in the learning process. A post-training survey indicated that participants preferred IT-related careers. This study provides valuable strategies and technologies for inclusive education and career guidance in IT, offering practical insights for educators and researchers. Furthermore, it addresses the existing knowledge gap regarding effective and sustainable technological interventions in computer education. The findings contribute to the development of future research on career orientation and employment opportunities for adolescents with autism and intellectual disabilities, supporting their inclusion in the digital economy. Special Education prototyping vocational skills training IT education career guidance autism intellectual disabilities adolescents online technologies Figures Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 4 Figure 5 Figure 6 Introduction People with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Intellectual Disability (ID) face significant challenges in gaining employment. The primary barriers include gaps in education, lack of work experience, negative attitudes from colleagues towards autism, and insufficient support for individuals with ASD/ID in securing employment (Anderson et al., 2021 ; Baker-Ericzén et al., 2022 ; Chiang & Howe, 2021 ; Costello et al., 2021 ; Davies et al., 2024 ; LaRue et al., 2020 ). To improve the integration of individuals with disabilities into the labor market in Kazakhstan, a document entitled the "Atlas of Recommended Professions for People with Disabilities" was developed. This document outlines the vocational training provided to students with special educational needs in professional training institutions (Atlas of Recommended Professions for People with Disabilities, 2020 ). According to this document, individuals are trained for manual occupations (e.g., farmers, typographers, manual laborers, cleaners, and support staff). However, professions involving intellectual work, particularly IT professions that involve modeling and software development, are not included in the recommended career paths. Nevertheless, recent studies have increasingly focused on the computer science education of individuals with health-related limitations. Research indicates that individuals with ASD/ID are underrepresented in STEM fields, despite their inclination towards exact sciences. As Asbell-Clarke ( 2023 ) notes, individuals with ASD/ID contribute to enriching the STEM field, but they face difficulties in mastering STEM subjects due to a lack of support within the school and university systems, rather than a lack of ability or skills. Jia’s research further confirms that individuals with autism have a strong interest in digital technologies (Jia et al., 2022 ). The potential of the computer science curriculum in the context of secondary vocational education demonstrates a positive impact on IT literacy (Lombardi et al., 2017 ), critical and computational thinking, and social skills. Studies show that teaching computer science to students with intellectual disabilities using adapted methodologies successfully develops computational thinking in children with intellectual disabilities (Munoz et al., 2018 ; Assainova et al., 2023 ; Nurbekova et al., 2018 ). Observations described in the research by Gribble indicate that a child with autism engaged in more communication during computer science classes than in traditional classroom settings (Gribble et al., 2017 ). Learning computer sciences fosters the development of professional skills. Blaser highlights the need to increase the participation of people with disabilities in the computing fields through the implementation of the “Access Computing” project (USA), where students with special educational needs interacted with peers and mentors, successfully taking part in career development activities, including internships and conference attendance (Blaser et al., 2017 ), skills in video game programming (Munoz et al., 2018 ). Teaching computer science significantly enhances students' skills in modeling and abstracting software application concepts, testing, and debugging computer programs, when organizing accessible computer science education (Arslanyilmaz et al., 2024 ). In Wang's study, students explored Python programming and computer vision, which contributed to making individuals with disabilities successful professionals in the field of computing (Wang et al., 2023 ). Shah's research highlighted the pedagogical potential of computer science to enhance the learning capacity of students with autism when appropriate pedagogy and inclusive education are applied (Shah et al., 2024 ). A programmer's career involves software product development and the use of design thinking, which accelerates software delivery based on an understanding of client needs while considering the technical and economic constraints of the project (Pereira & Russo, 2018 ). Design thinking is important to develop in schoolchildren who plan to become developers. It involves prototyping, which helps define the structure of elements, the appearance of the interface, and functionality. Hansen's research shows that students face challenges when transitioning from a problem or idea to its implementation, and prototyping helps to speed up the product creation process (Hansen et al., 2021 ; Gennari et al., 2021 ). The experience of teaching engineering design ideas demonstrated that autistic students developed a strong interest in STEM, successfully created projects, and interacted with neurotypical peers (W. B. Martin et al., 2020 ; Elmarakbi et al., 2022 ). Thus, there are successful cases of prototyping training; however, they are primarily associated with teaching neurotypical students. Insufficient attention has been paid to developing professional skills in individuals with ASD/ID in the IT field, specifically in software prototyping and design thinking. Furthermore, the impact of specific skill training on career self-determination, particularly the aspirations of adolescents with ASD/ID to pursue careers in the computing industry, has not been thoroughly explored. Similarly, the use of web technologies in developing the professional and functional skills of adolescents with intellectual disabilities has not been studied in sufficient detail. There is a lack of data regarding career guidance in IT professions, despite the growing number of such professions. Computer science lessons often do not cover the skills required for software product development, leaving students without exposure to the full development cycle, and thus failing to aid in the development of comprehensive IT competencies. Digital competency involves a holistic vision and functional skills that are essential for daily life. Research indicates that adolescents with ASD/ID face academic challenges related to information processing, attention span, and engagement in the learning process (W. B. Martin et al., 2020 ; Kurth et al., 2015 ). In most cases, these are behavioral issues that affect the quality of learning. Therefore, the use of strategies to increase engagement is critically important in the organization of the educational process. In the academic literature, insufficient attention has been paid to strategies that enhance the engagement of students with ASD/ID in computer science education. This study aimed to assess the impact of a prototyping training program on the software development skills of three adolescents with ASD/ID. Three adolescents (aged 13–15) participated in the study. Prototyping was conducted using online resources to create mockups of software programs and website interfaces. The results demonstrated that the training was effective in increasing participants' engagement in software development, fostering their independence in task completion, and influencing their career choices towards IT professions. The implications of professional training for adolescents in the IT field and its effect on meeting their needs are discussed. The following research questions were addressed in this study: RQ 1: How effective is the prototyping skills training program in improving the software development skills of adolescents with ID and ASD? RQ 2: To what extent did students’ engagement in task completion change before and after the training? RQ 3: How does prototyping skills training influence the career orientation and aspirations of adolescents with ASD/ID towards IT professions? Methods Respondents The study involved three secondary school students (two boys and one girl) enrolled in an adapted educational program from urban schools in the northern region of Kazakhstan. All three participants were medically diagnosed with ASD and ID. They received special educational services at school and in private educational centers, focusing on vocabulary development, reading fluency, and comprehension, both in reading and listening. The study took place between March and April 2024 in a private educational center, where digital skills and computer science lessons were conducted for three adolescents with ASD/ID in inclusive groups. Qualitative assessments were made during traditional lessons. Subsequently, over the course of four weeks, 12 individual sessions were held, employing prototyping and educational methodologies. During the sessions, engagement and software development skills were measured. A quasi-experimental research design with a one-group pretest-posttest approach (Cohen, L., Manion, L., & Morrison, K., 2007 ) was used in this study. Ethical approval for the research was obtained from the Margulan University ethics committee. The following criteria were used to select participants for the study: (a) eligibility for special educational services under the ASD/ID categories; (b) the ability to independently use a computer (desktop or laptop); (c) the ability to follow algorithms/visual instructions for working with software; (d) classroom participation skills (at least 10 minutes); and (e) basic digital literacy in computer use. In line with the school curriculum, respondents with ASD/ID were taught basic computer science and introductory programming skills in Scratch. All three adolescents had fundamental computer skills, including the use of word processors, multimedia presentations, internet searches, and YouTube services. Settings and Materials. All control and intervention sessions were conducted in a special education classroom in an individual learning format. During these sessions, participants used laptops at separate student desks. The lessons were led by a teacher with a background in computer science, assisted by two paraprofessionals. Before the intervention, the students were familiarized with the block programming environment, Scratch, where they created educational projects. However, the participants had not worked on actual small-scale projects. The prototyping training program included slides with instructional content, a list of projects, visual cues for each stage of prototyping, action algorithms, reference diagrams, templates for completing briefs, a career guidance test presentation, data tables for tracking student activities, and checklists for evaluating artifacts. The teacher explained and demonstrated the information on the slides, paying particular attention to visual prompts. The initial phase involved an introduction to the topic, defining the task, work planning, and showcasing online resources. The teacher demonstrated how to search for similar projects (competitors) and analyzed mobile applications and websites related to the topic. Paraprofessionals adjusted the actions of students with ASD/ID. During the intervention, two projects were assigned: the development of a mobile application prototype and the creation of a website using an online platform. For prototyping, the online platforms used were a website prototyping platform and a mockup creation platform, https://moqups.com/ . The online resources were used in free mode. The students were provided with visual cues for creating a webpage on the Tilda platform, selecting a template, choosing images, inserting documents, and designing the page. Paraprofessionals ensured that students performed the technical work, participated in discussions, tested the prototype, and made corrections. The projects were based on real-life issues that adolescents encounter in their daily lives. Data Collection. The study aimed to determine the effect of the independent variable - prototyping interventions - on the dependent variables, including the level of software development skills, engagement during modeling sessions, and career orientation of adolescents in the IT field. Before the intervention, during traditional computer science lessons (three lessons), and throughout the intervention, the teacher and the intervention specialist recorded students' software development skills, entering the data into a protocol. Two other researchers, with expertise in special education and STEM, observed the level of engagement and recorded this data in the protocol. The intervention specialist collected and independently compiled the data, calculating the average. The specialist also gathered information on the teaching methods and strategies used by the teacher and paraprofessionals. Procedure. After selecting respondents based on the inclusion criteria, the researchers conducted baseline measurements of the engagement levels of all three participants during computer science lessons. These lessons were conducted according to the regular school schedule and followed a traditional format: the teacher explained the topic, demonstrated the algorithm for working in Scratch, and provided time for independent work. The projects used were educational examples. Two observers collected baseline data for all participants over five lessons before the intervention began. The intervention sessions were then conducted for all participants, during which materials were presented, and project activities involving prototype development and testing were organized. During each intervention session, engagement measurements were taken for the students. Data Analysis. The dependent variables included the percentage of correct actions in developing a software product or prototype, the percentage of participation during modeling sessions, and the students' positive attitude towards IT professions. Correct actions in prototyping were defined as tasks independently completed by the student in accordance with the artifact evaluation criteria, which were recorded in a checklist. The criteria included the implementation of core functional features, error-free operation, component integration, user interface design, ease of navigation, user satisfaction, creativity, and innovation (Appendix 1). For example, the actions related to the implementation of core functional features were evaluated on a 10-point scale by two IT experts with business experience in professional website and mobile application development. The percentage of functional performance in the prototype and the completion of the Minimum Viable Product (MVP) were assessed. Engagement in the task was measured by the level of participation at each stage of prototype development, which was assessed by two expert observers from the research team during the baseline, training, and follow-up sessions. The quality of engagement was defined as the student's participation without disruptive behavior or ceasing work for more than one minute (Kurth et al., 2015 ). A checklist for evaluating the engagement of students with ASD/ID during the prototyping process was developed based on established methodologies (Creswell & Creswell, 2017 ; Nielsen, 1994 ; Saunders et al., 2016 ). Engagement was assessed across several parameters: "participation in research," "user involvement in research," "participation in prototype development," "practical activity in creating prototypes," and "participation in prototype testing." Criteria were defined for each parameter (Appendix 2). The dependent variable, "Adolescent Career Preference in IT Professions," was assessed by having students select careers that were visually presented on slides in a multimedia presentation, following recommendations from the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection of Kazakhstan. The methodology for career preference selection among neurodiverse individuals is discussed in the research of R.H. LaRue and C.Y. Chiang (Chiang & Howe, 2021 ; LaRue et al., 2020 ). The digitized results were recorded in a logbook and then entered into an Excel spreadsheet. After data cleaning, they were processed in Google Collab using Python data analysis functions and data visualization modules. Results Research Question 1. How effective is the prototyping skills training program in improving the software development skills of adolescents with ID and ASD? The results of the quasi-experiment evaluating software development skills demonstrated consistent skill improvement after the intervention. Before the intervention, participants completed a pre-test task involving the development of a software product, specifically a game in Scratch, as they were already familiar with this integrated visual programming environment. However, the students encountered difficulties, particularly with the design layout, program interface, and game navigation. Participant L1. The initial assessment of software development skills for Participant L1 (male) showed a score of 2. After the intervention began, L1 chose the task of developing a prototype for a mobile application featuring daily recipes for his family, particularly for his mother, to use in meal preparation (Fig. 1 ). L1 encountered difficulties when discussing the problem and defining the task; the student was unable to set the task independently. With the help of prompts and guiding questions from the teacher, L1 managed to articulate the task by writing it down in a notebook. L1 nearly independently completed the technical stage of the prototype development. The participant created interactive navigation for the prototype, designed the interface, and searched for images online, with only minimal verbal and visual prompts. During the prototype review, L1 received prompts to send the prototype link to familiar contacts via messenger, collect feedback, analyze it, and fix errors. L1 experienced some difficulty analyzing the errors, but with guidance from the teacher, he quickly corrected the identified mistakes and user feedback. L1 also created an invitation website for the spring holiday "Nauryz" over six sessions. Experts evaluated the created website as a fully functional product. The average software development skills score across the two projects was 6.1, which is 33% higher than the initial skill level. Participant L2. The initial software development skill score for L2 (male), determined by expert observers before the intervention, was 1.85. From the first training sessions, L2 also worked on developing a mobile recipe application prototype on the Moqups platform. L2 was able to partially create the interface and navigation for the prototype independently, and with prompting, he could find images for the application. Each stage of the mobile application prototype development was completed by L2 with either visual or verbal prompts. The second project involved creating a website for a children's drawing competition. During this project, the student learned to use a neural network to generate images. L2 encountered difficulties in planning the website's layout, finding icons, and writing text. With guidance from paraprofessionals and leading questions from the teacher, L2 completed the final product (Fig. 2 ). The average score for software development skills, as evaluated during and after the intervention, was 5.7, representing a 32% improvement over the initial skill level. Participant L3 (female). The initial software development skill assessment score for L3 was 1.71. At the start of the training, L3 chose a project to develop a mobile application prototype featuring exercise videos from an educational center that the participant attended (Fig. 3 ). Overall, L3 managed to complete the task: the interface was designed (with teacher prompts), video materials from the lessons were compiled into one folder (independently), video screenshots were created (with guidance), and interactive transitions were developed with the help of the teacher. L3 experienced difficulties in distributing the app to users and gathering feedback. Participant L3 also completed a second project, developing a website for the educational centre, which included descriptions of services and a class schedule, using the Tilda platform. The software development skills assessment score after the intervention was 5.42 (the average across both projects). The improvement in skills based on the criteria of functional features, error-free operation, integration, design, ease of navigation, user satisfaction, creativity, and innovation was 32%. Overall, at the beginning of the training, the task and the main functionality of the software products were clearly defined. The prototype was considered successful if the program operated and the main features were implemented. A prototype was also considered valid if only the interface was created. In total, all six prototypes were developed to varying degrees of completion. According to moderator observations from the journals, the children encountered difficulties in understanding the task, saving images in a single folder, creating navigation, collecting user feedback, and correcting the software product. However, all prototypes adhered to the original task. Two prototypes were enhanced with animations on Tilda or scrolling text, and one prototype included images generated by a neural network. The children participated in the creation of the prototypes using various levels of support and reinforcement. Visual support from the teachers was provided throughout. All three participants initially required the teacher’s help with prototyping: the teacher explained the necessary components several times. Eventually, all participants were able to create prototypes according to the technical specifications, although there were differences in the level of detail, such as the use of images, text, and links. The prototypes were distributed to five adult users, who evaluated the functionality of the prototypes and their success in meeting the intended objectives. Figure 4 below shows the progression of software development skills. The number of points scored in the software development skills assessment before and after the intervention demonstrates positive progress in mastering computer application development skills. Research Question 2. To what extent did student engagement in task completion change before and after the training? Fig. 5 illustrates the percentage of student engagement in task completion under baseline and training conditions. The initial engagement level for participant L1 was low, with an average of 50%, ranging between 49% and 54%. From the beginning of the first training session, L1's engagement increased from 57–80%, with an average of 74%. There were no overlaps between the baseline conditions and the subsequent training sessions. Participant L2 also showed increased engagement after the start of the training, with engagement levels rising from 45% to an average of 73.1%. The range of engagement during the training was between 56% and 77%, and it remained high throughout the entire observation period. There was only one overlap in data points between the baseline and training conditions, with no further overlaps between the baseline and subsequent sessions. L3 participants' engagement in prototyping projects was consistently high at 100%, both in baseline conditions, during the training, and in subsequent observations. No changes in data trends were observed. Research Question 3. How does prototyping skills training influence the career orientation and aspirations of these adolescents toward IT professions? A presentation (Fig. 6 ) was created to describe professions that neurodiverse students could pursue, based on the atlas of professions in Kazakhstan designed for individuals with disabilities (Atlas of Recommended Professions for People with Disabilities, 2020 ). Paraprofessionals delivered the presentation over four 15-minute sessions. The slides provided detailed descriptions of the professions, supplemented by video clips from YouTube. Teachers asked questions to gauge the students’ understanding. After the sessions, students were tasked with selecting their preferred profession by choosing a relevant slide from a carousel. The students also filled out feedback forms regarding their career choices. All three participants chose IT professions as their preferred fields: L1 opted for game development, L2 for website development, and L3 for graphic design. A social validity survey was also conducted, revealing that all three participants enjoyed the prototyping activities and expressed interest in continuing to develop software products using online resources. The class teacher and paraprofessionals noted the positive impact of the prototyping training intervention on the students' computer application skills, critical thinking, situation analysis, and motivation for the computer science course. They also stated that this intervention could be easily integrated into their regular classroom activities. Discussion The development and implementation of evidence-based professional training programmes for individuals with ASD/ID are globally relevant, as this group of people with disabilities faces challenges in securing employment in the modern labor market. This study focuses on examining the impact of prototyping training on the acquisition of software development skills and career aspirations in IT professions. The author aimed to explore the use of digital technologies and computer science as tools to improve employment opportunities for adolescents and adults with autism and intellectual disabilities. The results demonstrated that the training was effective in developing skills for all three participants. RQ 1: How effective is the prototyping skills training program in improving the software development skills of adolescents with ID and ASD? In line with previous studies on vocational skills training for adolescents and adults with autism and ID (Lee et al., 2020 ; Strickland et al., 2013 ), the results of our study showed that the specialized training improved digital skills in all three participants with ID/ASD, specifically those related to the role of a developer. The positive outcomes of the training demonstrated that young people with autism can be successfully taught computer science. Developing digital skills in individuals with intellectual disabilities requires the special organization of the educational environment (McDowell, 2015 , Klein, 2024), preliminary corrective work on the behavior of students with special needs (Begel et al., 2021 ), the use of universal design for behavior (Israel, Jeong, et al., 2020 ), and specific psycho-pedagogical approaches to teaching and supporting students (Begel et al., 2021 ; Israel, Chung, et al., 2020 ). Visual prompts were essential tools at every stage of the prototyping training and practice. The role of prompts and reinforcement is discussed in the works of Cohen et al. ( 2022 ), R. Martin & Wilkins ( 2022 ), and W. B. Martin et al. ( 2020 ). The results showed that students with ASD/ID were keenly engaged in creating mobile applications and website prototypes. Prototyping is a key stage in product development, allowing students to visualize the final version of the program and test the application with initial users (Hansen et al., 2021 ). The technical phase of prototype development was completed, with students with ASD/ID carrying out the software development actions almost independently. This aligns with previous research where prototyping was used with neurotypical children in the creative process of resource creation and project execution. Prototyping fosters student interest in IT projects through its clear and visual tasks. During the study, adolescents with ASD/ID faced challenges in contributing ideas during brainstorming sessions and tended to avoid participating in discussions. Teachers asked guiding questions during the brainstorming, feedback collection, and response analysis stages. Research confirms that individuals with ASD/ID have some difficulties with problem-based learning, requiring targeted intervention (Barnett et al., 2018 ; Du & Lyublinskaya, 2023 ). RQ 2: To what extent did student engagement in task completion change before and after the training? The study's results demonstrated increased engagement among students with ASD/ID during prototyping activities. Sustained attention was observed during the technical phases of application model development, with students maintaining focus for over 10 minutes. Online technologies were used throughout the training, which further enhanced student engagement in the learning process. This is consistent with earlier research showing that digital technologies can increase interest in learning among students with ASD/ID (Barnett et al., 2018 ; Gribble et al., 2017 ; McKissick et al., 2018 ). All three participants performed tasks at a higher level during the training and follow-up sessions than in the baseline conditions, suggesting that prototyping training improved their task engagement. RQ 3: How does prototyping skills training influence the career orientation and aspirations of adolescents with autism and ID towards IT professions? Employment is one of the most challenging stages of socialization for individuals with ASD/ID. Typically, they are not adequately prepared for workforce integration (Strickland et al., 2013 ), lack necessary support and services easily accessible during their school years, and often do not possess the required skills (Chiang & Howe, 2021 ). Career aspirations play a significant role in employment (Anderson et al., 2021 ). The study's results showed that students with ASD/ID chose IT professions as their preferred career paths, as they gained successful experience in specific tasks closely related to business activities, in line with previous research (Chiang & Howe, 2021 ; Costello et al., 2021 ). Targeted digital skills training demonstrates positive outcomes for employment. Social validity data indicated that the study participants were satisfied with the training results. Teachers and experts also responded positively to the possibility of providing professional IT training for adolescents with ASD/ID, which is crucial in shifting employment trends for people with disabilities in the IT job market and improving the unemployment situation among people with disabilities (Abidoğlu, Ü. P., et al 2017; Begel et al., 2021 ; Koushik & Kane, 2019 ). The results of this study are important in identifying and demonstrating the potential of individuals with disabilities in IT professions. Many researchers point out that individuals with ASD/ID enhance the profession with their unique perception and attention to detail (Adanır & Şen, 2021 ; Asbell-Clarke, 2023 ; Kryukova, N. I. et al., 2023). This study paves the way for innovative approaches to career guidance for adolescents with ASD/ID, improving career self-determination and future employment prospects. Limitations of the study . The effectiveness of training depends on various factors, primarily the professionalism of the computer science teacher and paraprofessionals, who must possess psycho-pedagogical tools for working with students with ASD/ID. The study also took into account the students' prior social adaptation and preliminary training to develop academic skills (such as sitting at a desk, following visual cues, responding to teacher prompts, and classroom behavior). Limitations of the study also include the subjectivity of evaluating the dependent variables, as assessments were conducted by experts and teachers, which may not provide a fully systematic evaluation of the participants' skills gained during the training. The results of this study may impact future research. An important future direction could be identifying other critical skills developed during the prototyping process. The variables used in this study can be expanded to allow for the exploration of various functional skills in students with ASD/ID. Additionally, the tools and methodological solutions presented could be expanded to include approaches such as group, team-based, and problem-based learning. Future research should involve a long-term study to assess how the training impacts employment outcomes within the community setting. Conclusion The results obtained are significant for the development of effective vocational training programs for individuals with ASD/ID in Kazakhstan. The use of online prototyping in digital skills training can guide students with ASD/ID towards choosing IT professions as a future source of income. The study results demonstrated a positive impact of the training on software development skills, student engagement in learning, and career aspirations toward IT professions. This research highlights the importance of focusing on such a marginalized group, encourages educational service providers and policymakers to implement vocational training programs for individuals with ASD/ID in the IT field. This type of training can be integrated by practitioners into general student education, particularly during computer science courses in schools or private lessons. Declarations Statement on Participant Consent I declare that all participants involved in the study "Online Prototyping for Digital Skills and Career Aspiration in Adolescents with Autism and Intellectual Disabilities" gave informed consent to participate in the research. As all participants were minors and had intellectual disabilities, their legal guardians provided consent on their behalf. The study also included consent for publication, as approved by the relevant ethics committee of Margulan University. This consent covers both participation in the research and the use of their data for publication purposes. The need for additional consent was waived for the study participants as per the committee's decision. Almagul Assainova Almagul Assainova is a professor at the Margulan University, Pavlodar City, Kazakhstan. She coordinates the funded project “Methodology of teaching inclusive informatics in the system of general and additional education as a condition for career guidance of children with mental disabilities”. The professor's research area is focused on computer-based learning for students with disabilities (email: [email protected] ). Gulbatima Anuar Gulbatima Anuar is a Master student of Computer Science at the Margulan University, Pavlodar city, Kazakhstan. She conducts research in the field of the use and development of online technologies in the inclusive education. (email: [email protected] Funding This research has been funded by the Science Committee of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan (Grant No. AP14872400). Acknowledgments We would like to thank the participants of the study and their parents, as well as the educational center «Brain Park» (Pavlodar city) for providing space for conducting training sessions. References Abidoğlu, Ü. 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Using Self-Management and Visual Cues to Improve Responses to Nonverbal Social Cues in Adults With Autism Spectrum Disorder. Behavior Modification , 46 (3), 529–552. https://doi.org/10.1177/0145445520982558 Costello, E., Kilbride, S., Milne, Z., Clarke, P., Yilmaz, M., & MacMahon, S. T. (2021). A Professional Career with Autism: Findings from a Literature Review in the Software Engineering Domain. В Yilmaz M., Clarke P., Messnarz R., & Reiner M. (Ред.), Commun. Comput. Info. Sci. (Т. 1442, сс. 349–360). Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH; Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-85521-5_23 Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2017). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches . Sage publications. Davies, J., Romualdez, A. M., Pellicano, E., & Remington, A. (2024). Career progression for autistic people: A scoping review. Autism . Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1177/13623613241236110 Du, X., & Lyublinskaya, I. (2023). Study of computer attitudes in STEM problem‐solving for students with disabilities. Computer Applications in Engineering Education , 31 (1), 117–130. https://doi.org/10.1002/cae.22574 Elmarakbi, N., Robson, H., & Currie, L. (2022). Creative Design Activities To Support The Complex Learning Environment of the Classroom For Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). В Bohemia E., Buck L., & Grierson H. (Ред.), Proc. Int. Conf. Eng. Prod. Des. Educ.: Disrupt, Innov., Regenerate Transform, E PDE . The Design Society; Scopus. https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85142846707&partnerID=40&md5=51dd84bb309eaa2152251e63e9f58bae Gennari, R., Matera, M., Melonio, A., Rizvi, M., & Roumelioti, E. (2021). Reflection and awareness in the design process: Children ideating, programming and prototyping smart objects. Multimedia Tools and Applications , 80 (26), 34909–34932. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11042-020-09927-x Gribble, J., Hansen, A., Harlow, D., & Franklin, D. (2017). Cracking The Code: The Impact of Computer Coding on the Interactions of a Child with Autism. Proceedings of the 2017 Conference on Interaction Design and Children , 445–450. https://doi.org/10.1145/3078072.3084307 Hansen, C. A., Martins Pacheco, N. M., Özkil, A. G., & Zimmermann, M. (2021). What is successful prototyping? insights from novice designers’ self-evaluation of prototyping success. Proceedings of the Design Society , 1 , 3431–3440. Cambridge Core. https://doi.org/10.1017/pds.2021.604 Israel, M., Chung, M. Y., Wherfel, Q. M., & Shehab, S. (2020). A descriptive analysis of academic engagement and collaboration of students with autism during elementary computer science. Computer Science Education , 30 (4), 444–468. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1080/08993408.2020.1779521 Israel, M., Jeong, G., Ray, M., & Lash, T. (2020). Teaching Elementary Computer Science through Universal Design for Learning. Proceedings of the 51st ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education , 1220–1226. https://doi.org/10.1145/3328778.3366823 Jia, R., Steelman, Z. R., & Jia, H. H. (2022). What Makes One Intrinsically Interested in IT? An Exploratory Study on Influences of Autistic Tendency and Gender in the U.S. and India. MIS Quarterly: Management Information Systems , 46 (3), 1603–1634. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.25300/MISQ/2022/16362 Klein, J., Medina, S., Spath, K. M., Hill, C. A., Li, C., Hwang, I., Olson, K. E., & Chou, C.-C. (2024). A Preliminary Curriculum to Promote Social Skills via Social Narratives and App Development in Youth With Autism. Journal of Special Education Technology, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/01626434241289335 Koushik, V., & Kane, S. K. (2019). «It Broadens My Mind»: Empowering People with Cognitive Disabilities through Computing Education. Proceedings of the 2019 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems , 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1145/3290605.3300744 Kryukova, N. I., Rastorgueva, N. E., Popova, E. O., Zakharova, V. L., Aytuganova, J. I., & Bikbulatova, G. I. (2023). Examining the implementations related to teaching science to students with disabilities. Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education , 19(8) , em2306. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/13427 Kurth, J. A., Lyon, K. J., & Shogren, K. A. (2015). Supporting Students With Severe Disabilities in Inclusive Schools: A Descriptive Account From Schools Implementing Inclusive Practices. Research and Practice for Persons with Severe Disabilities , 40 (4), 261–274. https://doi.org/10.1177/1540796915594160 LaRue, R. H., Maraventano, J. C., Budge, J. L., & Frischmann, T. (2020). Matching Vocational Aptitude and Employment Choice for Adolescents and Adults with ASD. Behavior Analysis in Practice , 13 (3), 618–630. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-019-00398-7 Lee, G. T., Pu, Y., Xu, S., Lee, M. W., & Feng, H. (2020). Training Car Wash Skills to Chinese Adolescents With Intellectual Disability and Autism Spectrum Disorder in the Community. The Journal of Special Education , 54 (1), 16–28. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022466919852340 Lombardi, A., Izzo, M. V., Gelbar, N., Murray, A., Buck, A., Johnson, V., Hsiao, J., Wei, Y., & Kowitt, J. (2017). Leveraging information technology literacy to enhance college and career readiness for secondary students with disabilities. Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation , 46 (3), 389–397. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.3233/JVR-170875 Martin, R., & Wilkins, J. (2022). Creating Visually Appropriate Classroom Environments for Students With Autism Spectrum Disorder. Intervention in School and Clinic , 57 (3), 176–181. https://doi.org/10.1177/10534512211014882 Martin, W. B., Yu, J., Wei, X., Vidiksis, R., Patten, K. K., & Riccio, A. (2020). Promoting Science, Technology, and Engineering Self-Efficacy and Knowledge for All With an Autism Inclusion Maker Program. Frontiers in Education , 5 . Scopus. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2020.00075 McDowell, J. (2015). A black swan in a sea of white noise: Using technology-enhanced learning to afford educational inclusivity for learners with asperger’s syndrome. Social Inclusion , 3 (6), 7–15. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.17645/si.v3i6.428 McKissick, B. R., Davis, L. L., Spooner, F., Fisher, L. B., & Graves, C. (2018). Using Computer-Assisted Instruction to Teach Science Vocabulary to Students With Autism Spectrum Disorder and Intellectual Disability. Rural Special Education Quarterly , 37 (4), 207–218. https://doi.org/10.1177/8756870518784270 Munoz, R., Villarroel, R., Barcelos, T. S., Riquelme, F., Quezada, A., & Bustos-Valenzuela, P. (2018). Developing Computational Thinking Skills in Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder Through Digital Game Programming. IEEE Access , 6 , 63880–63889. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1109/ACCESS.2018.2877417 Nielsen, J. (1994). Usability Engineering . Morgan Kaufmann Publishers Inc. Nurbekova, Z. K., Mukhamediyeva, K. M., & Assainova, A. Z. (2018). Educational robotics technologies in Kazakhstan and in the world: comparative analysis, current state and perspectives. Astra Salvensis , 11 . Pereira, J. C., & Russo, R. de F. S. M. (2018). Design Thinking Integrated in Agile Software Development: A Systematic Literature Review. CENTERIS 2018 - International Conference on Enterprise Information Systems / Projman 2018 - International Conference on Project Management / HCist 2018 - International Conference on Health and Social Care Information Systems and Technologies, CENTERIS/Projman/HCist 2018 , 138 , 775–782. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procs.2018.10.101 Saunders, M. N. K., Lewis, P., & Thornhill, A. (2016). Research Methods for Business Students . Pearson Education Limited. https://books.google.kz/books?id=HbEFvgEACAAJ Shah, S. M., Elliott, C., & Nedungadi, P. (2024). Square Pegs and Round Holes: Pedagogy for Autistic Students in Computing Education. IEEE Transactions on Education , 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1109/TE.2023.3335395 Strickland, D. C., Coles, C. D., & Southern, L. B. (2013). JobTIPS: A Transition to Employment Program for Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders , 43 (10), 2472–2483. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-013-1800-4 Wang, W., Ewoldt, K. B., Xie, M., Mestas-Nuñez, A. M., Soderman, S., & Wang, J. (2023). Virtual Summer Camp for High School Students with Disabilities—An Experience Report. Proceedings of the 54th ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education V. 1 , 458–464. https://doi.org/10.1145/3545945.3569818 Additional Declarations The authors declare no competing interests. Supplementary Files Appendix12.docx Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-6403096","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":440122907,"identity":"6cdbec34-05a0-4167-b57a-fc646b4a495c","order_by":0,"name":"Almagul 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12:07:18","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":{"humanSubjects":true,"vertebrateSubjects":false,"conflictsOfInterestStatement":false,"humanSubjectEthicalGuidelines":true,"humanSubjectConsent":true,"humanSubjectClinicalTrial":false,"humanSubjectCaseReport":false,"vertebrateSubjectEthicalGuidelines":false},"doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6403096/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6403096/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":80832273,"identity":"cb852d6c-5617-4db3-91fb-1596b3c64885","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-04-17 14:21:39","extension":"png","order_by":1,"title":"Figure 1","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":135452,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eFragment of the mobile application prototype created in Moqups (developed by Participant L1)\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"floatimage1.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6403096/v1/f819071109f1fa4494ad1ec0.png"},{"id":80834168,"identity":"0e420c7a-8f9c-4e65-a30f-dd0049dc313c","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-04-17 14:37:39","extension":"png","order_by":2,"title":"Figure 2","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":1239293,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eExample of the website prototype on Tilda, developed by Participant L2.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"floatimage2.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6403096/v1/eabf7d7256952ef276a135aa.png"},{"id":80832281,"identity":"efbf63cd-a724-4719-bcb8-a10853eedba2","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-04-17 14:21:39","extension":"png","order_by":3,"title":"Figure 3","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":286994,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eFragment of the prototype developed by L3 on the Moqups platform.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"floatimage3.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6403096/v1/d12a833d854c9920b40e98ee.png"},{"id":80832275,"identity":"87a9cc50-286d-41dd-ae91-2d81f0dae144","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-04-17 14:21:39","extension":"png","order_by":4,"title":"Figure 4","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":59380,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eProgression of software development skills through online prototyping.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"floatimage4.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6403096/v1/2e83ad6a80bca889079e7a3e.png"},{"id":80835485,"identity":"06af29e7-18ff-4afc-b0f8-421042a6311b","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-04-17 14:45:39","extension":"png","order_by":5,"title":"Figure 5","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":54284,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003ePercentage of student involvement in prototyping in lessons before intervention and during prototyping sessions\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"floatimage5.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6403096/v1/7401dcb40004529b62b00376.png"},{"id":80834170,"identity":"aded1f0f-9d7e-4f08-b559-53f9c2e36ca4","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-04-17 14:37:39","extension":"png","order_by":6,"title":"Figure 6","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":1311442,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eSlides with available professions\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"floatimage6.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6403096/v1/0c83da70831784f886498611.png"},{"id":80836328,"identity":"303c4777-59cc-4d88-a239-28715e42944c","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-04-17 14:53:40","extension":"pdf","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":3374641,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"manuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6403096/v1/31e1395c-e684-47d5-a28c-d1c5c56dc7e3.pdf"},{"id":80832270,"identity":"aba70583-2844-4152-9653-0dd15cbe81a5","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-04-17 14:21:39","extension":"docx","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"supplement","size":15643,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Appendix12.docx","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6403096/v1/b65b6f2086aeae7f4fdb7bf9.docx"}],"financialInterests":"The authors declare no competing interests.","formattedTitle":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eOnline Prototyping for Digital Skills and Career Aspiration in Adolescents with Autism and Intellectual Disabilities\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","fulltext":[{"header":"Introduction","content":"\u003cp\u003ePeople with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Intellectual Disability (ID) face significant challenges in gaining employment. The primary barriers include gaps in education, lack of work experience, negative attitudes from colleagues towards autism, and insufficient support for individuals with ASD/ID in securing employment (Anderson et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR3\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e; Baker-Ericz\u0026eacute;n et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR8\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e; Chiang \u0026amp; Howe, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR12\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e; Costello et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR15\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e; Davies et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR17\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2024\u003c/span\u003e; LaRue et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR30\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e). To improve the integration of individuals with disabilities into the labor market in Kazakhstan, a document entitled the \"Atlas of Recommended Professions for People with Disabilities\" was developed. This document outlines the vocational training provided to students with special educational needs in professional training institutions (Atlas of Recommended Professions for People with Disabilities, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR7\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAccording to this document, individuals are trained for manual occupations (e.g., farmers, typographers, manual laborers, cleaners, and support staff). However, professions involving intellectual work, particularly IT professions that involve modeling and software development, are not included in the recommended career paths. Nevertheless, recent studies have increasingly focused on the computer science education of individuals with health-related limitations. Research indicates that individuals with ASD/ID are underrepresented in STEM fields, despite their inclination towards exact sciences. As Asbell-Clarke (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR5\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2023\u003c/span\u003e) notes, individuals with ASD/ID contribute to enriching the STEM field, but they face difficulties in mastering STEM subjects due to a lack of support within the school and university systems, rather than a lack of ability or skills. Jia\u0026rsquo;s research further confirms that individuals with autism have a strong interest in digital technologies (Jia et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR25\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe potential of the computer science curriculum in the context of secondary vocational education demonstrates a positive impact on IT literacy (Lombardi et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR32\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2017\u003c/span\u003e), critical and computational thinking, and social skills. Studies show that teaching computer science to students with intellectual disabilities using adapted methodologies successfully develops computational thinking in children with intellectual disabilities (Munoz et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR37\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2018\u003c/span\u003e; Assainova et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR6\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2023\u003c/span\u003e; Nurbekova et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR39\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2018\u003c/span\u003e). Observations described in the research by Gribble indicate that a child with autism engaged in more communication during computer science classes than in traditional classroom settings (Gribble et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR21\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2017\u003c/span\u003e). Learning computer sciences fosters the development of professional skills. Blaser highlights the need to increase the participation of people with disabilities in the computing fields through the implementation of the \u0026ldquo;Access Computing\u0026rdquo; project (USA), where students with special educational needs interacted with peers and mentors, successfully taking part in career development activities, including internships and conference attendance (Blaser et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR11\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2017\u003c/span\u003e), skills in video game programming (Munoz et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR37\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2018\u003c/span\u003e). Teaching computer science significantly enhances students' skills in modeling and abstracting software application concepts, testing, and debugging computer programs, when organizing accessible computer science education (Arslanyilmaz et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR4\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2024\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn Wang's study, students explored Python programming and computer vision, which contributed to making individuals with disabilities successful professionals in the field of computing (Wang et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR44\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2023\u003c/span\u003e). Shah's research highlighted the pedagogical potential of computer science to enhance the learning capacity of students with autism when appropriate pedagogy and inclusive education are applied (Shah et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR42\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2024\u003c/span\u003e). A programmer's career involves software product development and the use of design thinking, which accelerates software delivery based on an understanding of client needs while considering the technical and economic constraints of the project (Pereira \u0026amp; Russo, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR40\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2018\u003c/span\u003e). Design thinking is important to develop in schoolchildren who plan to become developers. It involves prototyping, which helps define the structure of elements, the appearance of the interface, and functionality. Hansen's research shows that students face challenges when transitioning from a problem or idea to its implementation, and prototyping helps to speed up the product creation process (Hansen et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR22\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e; Gennari et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR20\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe experience of teaching engineering design ideas demonstrated that autistic students developed a strong interest in STEM, successfully created projects, and interacted with neurotypical peers (W. B. Martin et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR34\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e; Elmarakbi et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR19\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e). Thus, there are successful cases of prototyping training; however, they are primarily associated with teaching neurotypical students. Insufficient attention has been paid to developing professional skills in individuals with ASD/ID in the IT field, specifically in software prototyping and design thinking. Furthermore, the impact of specific skill training on career self-determination, particularly the aspirations of adolescents with ASD/ID to pursue careers in the computing industry, has not been thoroughly explored. Similarly, the use of web technologies in developing the professional and functional skills of adolescents with intellectual disabilities has not been studied in sufficient detail.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThere is a lack of data regarding career guidance in IT professions, despite the growing number of such professions. Computer science lessons often do not cover the skills required for software product development, leaving students without exposure to the full development cycle, and thus failing to aid in the development of comprehensive IT competencies. Digital competency involves a holistic vision and functional skills that are essential for daily life. Research indicates that adolescents with ASD/ID face academic challenges related to information processing, attention span, and engagement in the learning process (W. B. Martin et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR34\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e; Kurth et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR29\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2015\u003c/span\u003e). In most cases, these are behavioral issues that affect the quality of learning. Therefore, the use of strategies to increase engagement is critically important in the organization of the educational process. In the academic literature, insufficient attention has been paid to strategies that enhance the engagement of students with ASD/ID in computer science education.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThis study aimed to assess the impact of a prototyping training program on the software development skills of three adolescents with ASD/ID. Three adolescents (aged 13\u0026ndash;15) participated in the study. Prototyping was conducted using online resources to create mockups of software programs and website interfaces. The results demonstrated that the training was effective in increasing participants' engagement in software development, fostering their independence in task completion, and influencing their career choices towards IT professions. The implications of professional training for adolescents in the IT field and its effect on meeting their needs are discussed.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe following research questions were addressed in this study:\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eRQ 1: How effective is the prototyping skills training program in improving the software development skills of adolescents with ID and ASD?\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eRQ 2: To what extent did students\u0026rsquo; engagement in task completion change before and after the training?\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eRQ 3: How does prototyping skills training influence the career orientation and aspirations of adolescents with ASD/ID towards IT professions?\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Methods","content":"\u003cp\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eRespondents\u003c/strong\u003e The study involved three secondary school students (two boys and one girl) enrolled in an adapted educational program from urban schools in the northern region of Kazakhstan. All three participants were medically diagnosed with ASD and ID. They received special educational services at school and in private educational centers, focusing on vocabulary development, reading fluency, and comprehension, both in reading and listening. The study took place between March and April 2024 in a private educational center, where digital skills and computer science lessons were conducted for three adolescents with ASD/ID in inclusive groups. Qualitative assessments were made during traditional lessons. Subsequently, over the course of four weeks, 12 individual sessions were held, employing prototyping and educational methodologies. During the sessions, engagement and software development skills were measured. A quasi-experimental research design with a one-group pretest-posttest approach (Cohen, L., Manion, L., \u0026amp; Morrison, K., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR13\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2007\u003c/span\u003e) was used in this study. Ethical approval for the research was obtained from the Margulan University ethics committee.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe following criteria were used to select participants for the study: (a) eligibility for special educational services under the ASD/ID categories; (b) the ability to independently use a computer (desktop or laptop); (c) the ability to follow algorithms/visual instructions for working with software; (d) classroom participation skills (at least 10 minutes); and (e) basic digital literacy in computer use. In line with the school curriculum, respondents with ASD/ID were taught basic computer science and introductory programming skills in Scratch. All three adolescents had fundamental computer skills, including the use of word processors, multimedia presentations, internet searches, and YouTube services.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cem\u003eSettings and Materials.\u003c/em\u003e All control and intervention sessions were conducted in a special education classroom in an individual learning format. During these sessions, participants used laptops at separate student desks. The lessons were led by a teacher with a background in computer science, assisted by two paraprofessionals. Before the intervention, the students were familiarized with the block programming environment, Scratch, where they created educational projects. However, the participants had not worked on actual small-scale projects. The prototyping training program included slides with instructional content, a list of projects, visual cues for each stage of prototyping, action algorithms, reference diagrams, templates for completing briefs, a career guidance test presentation, data tables for tracking student activities, and checklists for evaluating artifacts. The teacher explained and demonstrated the information on the slides, paying particular attention to visual prompts. The initial phase involved an introduction to the topic, defining the task, work planning, and showcasing online resources. The teacher demonstrated how to search for similar projects (competitors) and analyzed mobile applications and websites related to the topic.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eParaprofessionals adjusted the actions of students with ASD/ID. During the intervention, two projects were assigned: the development of a mobile application prototype and the creation of a website using an online platform. For prototyping, the online platforms used were a website prototyping platform and a mockup creation platform, \u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003ehttps://moqups.com/\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"https://moqups.com/\" targettype=\"URL\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e. The online resources were used in free mode. The students were provided with visual cues for creating a webpage on the Tilda platform, selecting a template, choosing images, inserting documents, and designing the page. Paraprofessionals ensured that students performed the technical work, participated in discussions, tested the prototype, and made corrections. The projects were based on real-life issues that adolescents encounter in their daily lives.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cem\u003eData Collection.\u003c/em\u003e The study aimed to determine the effect of the independent variable - prototyping interventions - on the dependent variables, including the level of software development skills, engagement during modeling sessions, and career orientation of adolescents in the IT field. Before the intervention, during traditional computer science lessons (three lessons), and throughout the intervention, the teacher and the intervention specialist recorded students' software development skills, entering the data into a protocol. Two other researchers, with expertise in special education and STEM, observed the level of engagement and recorded this data in the protocol. The intervention specialist collected and independently compiled the data, calculating the average. The specialist also gathered information on the teaching methods and strategies used by the teacher and paraprofessionals.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eProcedure.\u003c/em\u003e After selecting respondents based on the inclusion criteria, the researchers conducted baseline measurements of the engagement levels of all three participants during computer science lessons. These lessons were conducted according to the regular school schedule and followed a traditional format: the teacher explained the topic, demonstrated the algorithm for working in Scratch, and provided time for independent work. The projects used were educational examples. Two observers collected baseline data for all participants over five lessons before the intervention began. The intervention sessions were then conducted for all participants, during which materials were presented, and project activities involving prototype development and testing were organized. During each intervention session, engagement measurements were taken for the students.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cem\u003eData Analysis.\u003c/em\u003e The dependent variables included the percentage of correct actions in developing a software product or prototype, the percentage of participation during modeling sessions, and the students' positive attitude towards IT professions. Correct actions in prototyping were defined as tasks independently completed by the student in accordance with the artifact evaluation criteria, which were recorded in a checklist. The criteria included the implementation of core functional features, error-free operation, component integration, user interface design, ease of navigation, user satisfaction, creativity, and innovation (Appendix 1). For example, the actions related to the implementation of core functional features were evaluated on a 10-point scale by two IT experts with business experience in professional website and mobile application development. The percentage of functional performance in the prototype and the completion of the Minimum Viable Product (MVP) were assessed. Engagement in the task was measured by the level of participation at each stage of prototype development, which was assessed by two expert observers from the research team during the baseline, training, and follow-up sessions. The quality of engagement was defined as the student's participation without disruptive behavior or ceasing work for more than one minute (Kurth et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR29\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2015\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eA checklist for evaluating the engagement of students with ASD/ID during the prototyping process was developed based on established methodologies (Creswell \u0026amp; Creswell, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR16\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2017\u003c/span\u003e; Nielsen, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR38\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1994\u003c/span\u003e; Saunders et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR41\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2016\u003c/span\u003e). Engagement was assessed across several parameters: \"participation in research,\" \"user involvement in research,\" \"participation in prototype development,\" \"practical activity in creating prototypes,\" and \"participation in prototype testing.\" Criteria were defined for each parameter (Appendix 2). The dependent variable, \"Adolescent Career Preference in IT Professions,\" was assessed by having students select careers that were visually presented on slides in a multimedia presentation, following recommendations from the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection of Kazakhstan. The methodology for career preference selection among neurodiverse individuals is discussed in the research of R.H. LaRue and C.Y. Chiang (Chiang \u0026amp; Howe, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR12\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e; LaRue et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR30\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e). The digitized results were recorded in a logbook and then entered into an Excel spreadsheet. After data cleaning, they were processed in Google Collab using Python data analysis functions and data visualization modules.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Results","content":"\u003cp\u003e \u003cem\u003eResearch Question 1. How effective is the prototyping skills training program in improving the software development skills of adolescents with ID and ASD?\u003c/em\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe results of the quasi-experiment evaluating software development skills demonstrated consistent skill improvement after the intervention. Before the intervention, participants completed a pre-test task involving the development of a software product, specifically a game in Scratch, as they were already familiar with this integrated visual programming environment. However, the students encountered difficulties, particularly with the design layout, program interface, and game navigation.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cem\u003eParticipant L1.\u003c/em\u003e The initial assessment of software development skills for Participant L1 (male) showed a score of 2. After the intervention began, L1 chose the task of developing a prototype for a mobile application featuring daily recipes for his family, particularly for his mother, to use in meal preparation (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eL1 encountered difficulties when discussing the problem and defining the task; the student was unable to set the task independently. With the help of prompts and guiding questions from the teacher, L1 managed to articulate the task by writing it down in a notebook. L1 nearly independently completed the technical stage of the prototype development. The participant created interactive navigation for the prototype, designed the interface, and searched for images online, with only minimal verbal and visual prompts. During the prototype review, L1 received prompts to send the prototype link to familiar contacts via messenger, collect feedback, analyze it, and fix errors. L1 experienced some difficulty analyzing the errors, but with guidance from the teacher, he quickly corrected the identified mistakes and user feedback. L1 also created an invitation website for the spring holiday \"Nauryz\" over six sessions. Experts evaluated the created website as a fully functional product. The average software development skills score across the two projects was 6.1, which is 33% higher than the initial skill level.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eParticipant L2.\u003c/em\u003e The initial software development skill score for L2 (male), determined by expert observers before the intervention, was 1.85. From the first training sessions, L2 also worked on developing a mobile recipe application prototype on the Moqups platform. L2 was able to partially create the interface and navigation for the prototype independently, and with prompting, he could find images for the application. Each stage of the mobile application prototype development was completed by L2 with either visual or verbal prompts. The second project involved creating a website for a children's drawing competition. During this project, the student learned to use a neural network to generate images. L2 encountered difficulties in planning the website's layout, finding icons, and writing text. With guidance from paraprofessionals and leading questions from the teacher, L2 completed the final product (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe average score for software development skills, as evaluated during and after the intervention, was 5.7, representing a 32% improvement over the initial skill level.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eParticipant L3 (female). The initial software development skill assessment score for L3 was 1.71. At the start of the training, L3 chose a project to develop a mobile application prototype featuring exercise videos from an educational center that the participant attended (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eOverall, L3 managed to complete the task: the interface was designed (with teacher prompts), video materials from the lessons were compiled into one folder (independently), video screenshots were created (with guidance), and interactive transitions were developed with the help of the teacher. L3 experienced difficulties in distributing the app to users and gathering feedback. Participant L3 also completed a second project, developing a website for the educational centre, which included descriptions of services and a class schedule, using the Tilda platform. The software development skills assessment score after the intervention was 5.42 (the average across both projects). The improvement in skills based on the criteria of functional features, error-free operation, integration, design, ease of navigation, user satisfaction, creativity, and innovation was 32%. Overall, at the beginning of the training, the task and the main functionality of the software products were clearly defined. The prototype was considered successful if the program operated and the main features were implemented. A prototype was also considered valid if only the interface was created. In total, all six prototypes were developed to varying degrees of completion. According to moderator observations from the journals, the children encountered difficulties in understanding the task, saving images in a single folder, creating navigation, collecting user feedback, and correcting the software product. However, all prototypes adhered to the original task. Two prototypes were enhanced with animations on Tilda or scrolling text, and one prototype included images generated by a neural network.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe children participated in the creation of the prototypes using various levels of support and reinforcement. Visual support from the teachers was provided throughout. All three participants initially required the teacher\u0026rsquo;s help with prototyping: the teacher explained the necessary components several times. Eventually, all participants were able to create prototypes according to the technical specifications, although there were differences in the level of detail, such as the use of images, text, and links. The prototypes were distributed to five adult users, who evaluated the functionality of the prototypes and their success in meeting the intended objectives. Figure\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig4\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e below shows the progression of software development skills.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe number of points scored in the software development skills assessment before and after the intervention demonstrates positive progress in mastering computer application development skills.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cem\u003eResearch Question 2. To what extent did student engagement in task completion change before and after the training?\u003c/em\u003e Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig5\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e illustrates the percentage of student engagement in task completion under baseline and training conditions. The initial engagement level for participant L1 was low, with an average of 50%, ranging between 49% and 54%. From the beginning of the first training session, L1's engagement increased from 57\u0026ndash;80%, with an average of 74%.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThere were no overlaps between the baseline conditions and the subsequent training sessions. Participant L2 also showed increased engagement after the start of the training, with engagement levels rising from 45% to an average of 73.1%. The range of engagement during the training was between 56% and 77%, and it remained high throughout the entire observation period. There was only one overlap in data points between the baseline and training conditions, with no further overlaps between the baseline and subsequent sessions. L3 participants' engagement in prototyping projects was consistently high at 100%, both in baseline conditions, during the training, and in subsequent observations. No changes in data trends were observed.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cem\u003eResearch Question 3. How does prototyping skills training influence the career orientation and aspirations of these adolescents toward IT professions?\u003c/em\u003e A presentation (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig6\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e6\u003c/span\u003e) was created to describe professions that neurodiverse students could pursue, based on the atlas of professions in Kazakhstan designed for individuals with disabilities (Atlas of Recommended Professions for People with Disabilities, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR7\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eParaprofessionals delivered the presentation over four 15-minute sessions. The slides provided detailed descriptions of the professions, supplemented by video clips from YouTube. Teachers asked questions to gauge the students\u0026rsquo; understanding. After the sessions, students were tasked with selecting their preferred profession by choosing a relevant slide from a carousel. The students also filled out feedback forms regarding their career choices. All three participants chose IT professions as their preferred fields: L1 opted for game development, L2 for website development, and L3 for graphic design. A social validity survey was also conducted, revealing that all three participants enjoyed the prototyping activities and expressed interest in continuing to develop software products using online resources. The class teacher and paraprofessionals noted the positive impact of the prototyping training intervention on the students' computer application skills, critical thinking, situation analysis, and motivation for the computer science course. They also stated that this intervention could be easily integrated into their regular classroom activities.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Discussion","content":"\u003cp\u003eThe development and implementation of evidence-based professional training programmes for individuals with ASD/ID are globally relevant, as this group of people with disabilities faces challenges in securing employment in the modern labor market. This study focuses on examining the impact of prototyping training on the acquisition of software development skills and career aspirations in IT professions. The author aimed to explore the use of digital technologies and computer science as tools to improve employment opportunities for adolescents and adults with autism and intellectual disabilities. The results demonstrated that the training was effective in developing skills for all three participants.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cem\u003eRQ 1: How effective is the prototyping skills training program in improving the software development skills of adolescents with ID and ASD?\u003c/em\u003e In line with previous studies on vocational skills training for adolescents and adults with autism and ID (Lee et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR31\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e; Strickland et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR43\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2013\u003c/span\u003e), the results of our study showed that the specialized training improved digital skills in all three participants with ID/ASD, specifically those related to the role of a developer. The positive outcomes of the training demonstrated that young people with autism can be successfully taught computer science. Developing digital skills in individuals with intellectual disabilities requires the special organization of the educational environment (McDowell, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR35\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2015\u003c/span\u003e, Klein, 2024), preliminary corrective work on the behavior of students with special needs (Begel et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR10\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e), the use of universal design for behavior (Israel, Jeong, et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR24\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e), and specific psycho-pedagogical approaches to teaching and supporting students (Begel et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR10\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e; Israel, Chung, et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR23\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eVisual prompts were essential tools at every stage of the prototyping training and practice. The role of prompts and reinforcement is discussed in the works of Cohen et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR14\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e), R. Martin \u0026amp; Wilkins (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR33\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e), and W. B. Martin et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR34\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e). The results showed that students with ASD/ID were keenly engaged in creating mobile applications and website prototypes. Prototyping is a key stage in product development, allowing students to visualize the final version of the program and test the application with initial users (Hansen et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR22\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e). The technical phase of prototype development was completed, with students with ASD/ID carrying out the software development actions almost independently. This aligns with previous research where prototyping was used with neurotypical children in the creative process of resource creation and project execution. Prototyping fosters student interest in IT projects through its clear and visual tasks. During the study, adolescents with ASD/ID faced challenges in contributing ideas during brainstorming sessions and tended to avoid participating in discussions. Teachers asked guiding questions during the brainstorming, feedback collection, and response analysis stages. Research confirms that individuals with ASD/ID have some difficulties with problem-based learning, requiring targeted intervention (Barnett et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR9\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2018\u003c/span\u003e; Du \u0026amp; Lyublinskaya, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR18\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2023\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cem\u003eRQ 2: To what extent did student engagement in task completion change before and after the training?\u003c/em\u003e The study's results demonstrated increased engagement among students with ASD/ID during prototyping activities. Sustained attention was observed during the technical phases of application model development, with students maintaining focus for over 10 minutes. Online technologies were used throughout the training, which further enhanced student engagement in the learning process. This is consistent with earlier research showing that digital technologies can increase interest in learning among students with ASD/ID (Barnett et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR9\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2018\u003c/span\u003e; Gribble et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR21\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2017\u003c/span\u003e; McKissick et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR36\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2018\u003c/span\u003e). All three participants performed tasks at a higher level during the training and follow-up sessions than in the baseline conditions, suggesting that prototyping training improved their task engagement.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cem\u003eRQ 3: How does prototyping skills training influence the career orientation and aspirations of adolescents with autism and ID towards IT professions?\u003c/em\u003e Employment is one of the most challenging stages of socialization for individuals with ASD/ID. Typically, they are not adequately prepared for workforce integration (Strickland et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR43\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2013\u003c/span\u003e), lack necessary support and services easily accessible during their school years, and often do not possess the required skills (Chiang \u0026amp; Howe, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR12\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e). Career aspirations play a significant role in employment (Anderson et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR3\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e). The study's results showed that students with ASD/ID chose IT professions as their preferred career paths, as they gained successful experience in specific tasks closely related to business activities, in line with previous research (Chiang \u0026amp; Howe, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR12\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e; Costello et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR15\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eTargeted digital skills training demonstrates positive outcomes for employment. Social validity data indicated that the study participants were satisfied with the training results. Teachers and experts also responded positively to the possibility of providing professional IT training for adolescents with ASD/ID, which is crucial in shifting employment trends for people with disabilities in the IT job market and improving the unemployment situation among people with disabilities (Abidoğlu, \u0026Uuml;. P., et al 2017; Begel et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR10\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e; Koushik \u0026amp; Kane, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR27\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2019\u003c/span\u003e). The results of this study are important in identifying and demonstrating the potential of individuals with disabilities in IT professions. Many researchers point out that individuals with ASD/ID enhance the profession with their unique perception and attention to detail (Adanır \u0026amp; Şen, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR2\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e; Asbell-Clarke, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR5\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2023\u003c/span\u003e; Kryukova, N. I. et al., 2023). This study paves the way for innovative approaches to career guidance for adolescents with ASD/ID, improving career self-determination and future employment prospects.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cem\u003eLimitations of the study\u003c/em\u003e. The effectiveness of training depends on various factors, primarily the professionalism of the computer science teacher and paraprofessionals, who must possess psycho-pedagogical tools for working with students with ASD/ID. The study also took into account the students' prior social adaptation and preliminary training to develop academic skills (such as sitting at a desk, following visual cues, responding to teacher prompts, and classroom behavior). Limitations of the study also include the subjectivity of evaluating the dependent variables, as assessments were conducted by experts and teachers, which may not provide a fully systematic evaluation of the participants' skills gained during the training. The results of this study may impact future research. An important future direction could be identifying other critical skills developed during the prototyping process. The variables used in this study can be expanded to allow for the exploration of various functional skills in students with ASD/ID. Additionally, the tools and methodological solutions presented could be expanded to include approaches such as group, team-based, and problem-based learning. Future research should involve a long-term study to assess how the training impacts employment outcomes within the community setting.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Conclusion","content":"\u003cp\u003eThe results obtained are significant for the development of effective vocational training programs for individuals with ASD/ID in Kazakhstan. The use of online prototyping in digital skills training can guide students with ASD/ID towards choosing IT professions as a future source of income. The study results demonstrated a positive impact of the training on software development skills, student engagement in learning, and career aspirations toward IT professions. This research highlights the importance of focusing on such a marginalized group, encourages educational service providers and policymakers to implement vocational training programs for individuals with ASD/ID in the IT field. This type of training can be integrated by practitioners into general student education, particularly during computer science courses in schools or private lessons.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Declarations","content":" \u003ch2\u003eStatement on Participant Consent\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI declare that all participants involved in the study \u0026quot;Online Prototyping for Digital Skills and Career Aspiration in Adolescents with Autism and Intellectual Disabilities\u0026quot; gave informed consent to participate in the research. As all participants were minors and had intellectual disabilities, their legal guardians provided consent on their behalf. The study also included consent for publication, as approved by the relevant ethics committee of Margulan University. This consent covers both participation in the research and the use of their data for publication purposes. The need for additional consent was waived for the study participants as per the committee\u0026apos;s decision.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eAlmagul Assainova\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003e Almagul Assainova\u003c/b\u003e is a professor at the Margulan University, Pavlodar City, Kazakhstan. She coordinates the funded project \u0026ldquo;Methodology of teaching inclusive informatics in the system of general and additional education as a condition for career guidance of children with mental disabilities\u0026rdquo;. The professor's research area is focused on computer-based learning for students with disabilities (email: [email protected]).\u003c/p\u003e \u003ch2\u003eGulbatima Anuar\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eGulbatima Anuar is a Master student of Computer Science at the Margulan University, Pavlodar city, Kazakhstan. She conducts research in the field of the use and development of online technologies in the inclusive education. (email: [email protected]\u003c/p\u003e \u003ch2\u003eFunding\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThis research has been funded by the Science Committee of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan (Grant No. AP14872400).\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eAcknowledgments\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eWe would like to thank the participants of the study and their parents, as well as the educational center \u0026laquo;Brain Park\u0026raquo; (Pavlodar city) for providing space for conducting training sessions.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"References","content":"\u003col\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eAbidoğlu, \u0026Uuml;. P., Ertuğruloğlu, O., \u0026amp; B\u0026uuml;y\u0026uuml;keğilmez, N. (2017). Importance of Computer-Aided Education for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). \u003cem\u003eEurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003e13(8)\u003c/em\u003e, 4957\u0026ndash;4964. https://doi.org/10.12973/eurasia.2017.00975a\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eAdanır, S., \u0026amp; Şen, B. G. (2021). \u003cem\u003eExamining Peer Factor In The Development Of Social Skills Of Mentally Disabled Individuals In Reference To The Teachers\u0026rsquo; Views\u003c/em\u003e. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1319186\u0026nbsp;\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eAnderson, C., Butt, C., \u0026amp; Sarsony, C. (2021). 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Virtual Summer Camp for High School Students with Disabilities\u0026mdash;An Experience Report. \u003cem\u003eProceedings of the 54th ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education V. 1\u003c/em\u003e, 458\u0026ndash;464. https://doi.org/10.1145/3545945.3569818\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e"}],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":true,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":true,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"Margulan University","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":false,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":false,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"prototyping, vocational skills training, IT education, career guidance, autism, intellectual disabilities, adolescents, online technologies","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6403096/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6403096/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eThis study emphasizes the importance of IT education for adolescents with Autism and Intellectual Disabilities, facilitating their integration into STEM professions. Given the limited research on career guidance and employment for this group, a quasi-experiment was conducted with three adolescents who underwent a two-month online prototyping training program aimed at developing software creation skills. The results demonstrated significant improvements in technical competencies and increased engagement in the learning process. A post-training survey indicated that participants preferred IT-related careers. This study provides valuable strategies and technologies for inclusive education and career guidance in IT, offering practical insights for educators and researchers. Furthermore, it addresses the existing knowledge gap regarding effective and sustainable technological interventions in computer education. The findings contribute to the development of future research on career orientation and employment opportunities for adolescents with autism and intellectual disabilities, supporting their inclusion in the digital economy.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Online Prototyping for Digital Skills and Career Aspiration in Adolescents with Autism and Intellectual Disabilities","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2025-04-17 14:21:34","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6403096/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"1b6bb9e7-6d89-442a-8514-51fcb4a8cff5","owner":[],"postedDate":"April 17th, 2025","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"posted","subjectAreas":[{"id":46855333,"name":"Special Education"}],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2025-05-20T17:23:12+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2025-04-17 14:21:34","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-6403096","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-6403096","identity":"rs-6403096","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"8U1c8b4HqxoKbykW_rLl7","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}