Acknowledgement

I want to thank my instructor, Ms. Zimmer, and Ms. Hagenlocher. They guided and supported me during the development of my proposal and the design of my year-long project.

I want to thank Dr. Manlin Li for her guidance in design and research as my supervisor during the autism research phase. In addition, I would like to thank Prof. kyu-ho Ahn for guiding me during my independent study phase.

I would like to thank my interviewee Ms. Rodabaugh, Ms. Wu, Ms. Hata, and Ms. Biggerstaff. They provided me with first-hand information from parents and teachers about children with autism. All of my research and design are based on these conversations and interviews. In addition, their help has been instrumental in helping me make my designs more user-friendly.

In the guiding principle part, we are very grateful to all the educators who participated in this study, which was foundational for the success of the interview. We are especially thankful to Professor Sacha Hasan and Professor Ryan Woolrych for their encouragement and support in our research, and gave our research and poster repeated readings and constructive comments.

Finally, I would like to thank my parents for their unconditional support and encouragement throughout my studies. Also, thank you to Good Morning Kitten for his countless sleepless nights.