Cyborg Assemblages: How autistic adults construct sociotechnical networks to support cognitive function

Williams, A. & Park, C. (2023). Cyborg Assemblages: How autistic adults construct sociotechnical networks to support cognitive function. Proceedings of the 2023 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1145/3544548.3581556

Publication date: 19 Apr 2023 Added to AutiHub: 9 Aug 2026 Type: Other Article language: English

This publication is integrated into AutiHub through:

Authors

Publication authors
2
Publication authors identified as autistic
1 / 2 (50.0%)

Abstract

Autism has become a popular context for accessible technology researchers, yet a majority of HCI projects for autism and ADHD do not engage in participatory methods or otherwise involve disabled stakeholders in the project and research design. Prior inquiry has identified executive function as a common difficulty for which technologies may provide novel benefits. In this study, we explore how autistic adults currently use technologies, broadly defined, to augment executive function and support themselves in day-to-day tasks. We collect qualitative data from narratives elicited during informal asynchronous interviews to conduct a digital ethnomethodology. Following from principles of Design Justice, crip technoscience, and cyborg assemblage theory, we investigate how autistic adults articulate their own sociotechnical environments into technologically mediated assemblages of executive function and interpersonal webs of care. These patterns of sociotechnical formation inform future work in research and design for tools that can mediate executive function for all users.

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Bibliography inclusion overview

These indicators describe the cited bibliography imported for this publication. Cited-reference metrics use the cited-reference total as denominator. Cited-author metrics state whether they use all cited-author occurrences or only occurrences linked to authors already integrated in the AutiHub database. They use cached links between cited authors and authors integrated in the AutiHub database. Last computed: 16 Aug 2026 11:31.

Cited references
76
Total cited references integrated for this publication.
Cited references with an identified autistic author
13 / 76 (17.1%)
Cited author occurrences identified as autistic
13 / 263 (4.9%)
Among occurrences linked to AutiHub author records: 13 / 80 (16.2%). Distinct cited authors identified as autistic: 4 / 209 (1.9%).
Cited author occurrences linked to AutiHub author records
80 / 263 (30.4%)
Distinct linked cited authors: 43 / 209 (20.6%)
Linked cited-author occurrences not identified as autistic
67 / 80 (83.8%)
Among linked cited-author occurrences only. Across all cited-author occurrences: 67 / 263 (25.5%). Distinct linked cited authors not identified as autistic: 39 / 43 (90.7%).
4 cited bibliography entries could not be fully enriched from DOI metadata.
Crossref: not found (2) · DataCite: not found (2)
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