The Design of a Web-based Platform for Children with ASD to Train their Skills in ‘Shopping’ and ‘Payment’: The Challenge of Vibe Coding

Qinchen Zhu

Co-Presenters: Yinuo Li, Xiangyuan Wang, Ruofei Wang, Xinzhi Bao, Sixing Pan, Jiayue Deng

College: College of Business and Public Management

Major: BS.FINANCE

Faculty Research Mentor: Tang, Tiffany  Winoto, Pinata

Abstract:

Adolescents with ASD often face serious challenges in developing independent living skills, particularly in financial transactions and shopping activities. Acquiring payment skills is one of the most important factors to enhance their autonomy and social integration. The present study developed an accessible web-based educational platform for teaching cash and electronic payment skills for Chinese adolescents with ASD who study in special education schools.The six main modules are: RMB currency recognition, cash payment calculation, electronic payment instruction and practice, simulated shopping with a shopping cart and dual payment options, and a performance-based reward system. It follows the principles of autism-friendly design, such as text-to-speech, simple navigation by buttons, cartoon visuals, and four progressive difficulty levels. The entire system was developed in HTML, CSS, and JavaScript with the support of multiple AI-assisted code and multimedia content generation tools.The platform will help learners with ASD to master independent shopping and paying skills, enhance their self-care abilities, and have better social participation. This is a practical and scalable solution for financial literacy education in special education.Keywords:autism spectrum disorder, special education, payment skills training, accessible web design, independent living skills, and financial literacy