Abstract
ABSTRACT Purpose: to describe the panorama of the pedagogical context in the preschool teaching of students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), in a municipality in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. Methods: 32 teachers, including early childhood education (ECE), special education (SE), and specialized educational assistance (SEA), participated answering a questionnaire about their performance with autistic students. A descriptive qualitative analysis of the data was performed. Results: the average age of the teachers was 40.6 years old, with an undergraduate degree in Teaching, Pedagogy, Special Education, and/or Visual Arts, of which 84.4% were postgraduate. 87.4% knew ASD characteristics; 80%, SEA, 66.7%, SE, 57.1% of ECE teachers had receive the medical report. 78.1% reported difficulties in socialization, communication, behavior, learning; 15.6%, aggressive behavior / irritation; 12.5%, difficulties in attention / concentration; 6.2%, motor coordination difficulties in their autistic students. 62.5% considered that their autistic students had the potential to follow mainstream education; 68.8% received guidance from team professionals; 78.1% participated in courses/lectures on the theme; 28.1% considered they were able to teach autistic children; 78.1% stated that adjustments in the teaching structure were necessary. Conclusion: the scenario of the pedagogical context in the preschool teaching of students with ASD, in the studied municipality, needs reflections. Information on ASD characteristics, training courses, knowledge on individual follow-ups, so that teachers are prepared to promote effective teaching and learning, are needed.
Highlights
The movement for social, economic, and school inclusion of people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in Brazil has strengthened in recent decades and occurred as a response to the State’s failure to develop its role in guaranteeing rights for this population[1,2].Regarding education, the legislations for school inclusion in Brazil, developed from the Brazilian Federal Constitution of of 19883, once influenced by ideological changes on the international scenario and the new look at the social role of people with ASD, began to consider the difference as natural to human existence
In the political and social sphere, the inclusive model has been incorporated into the development of public policies, such as the National Policy of Special Education In the Inclusive Education Perspective[7], which aims to build policies that can promote quality education to all students; the National Policy for the Protection of the Rights of the Person with Autism Spectrum Disorder[8], which protects the rights of people with ASD, enabling their social and personal development; and the Brazilian Law for the Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities[9], which foresees the need of strategies that ensure and promote conditions for the development of citizenship of people with disabilities in all social spheres
Teachers had an undergraduate degree in the following areas: Teaching, Pedagogy, Special Education, and Visual Arts (Chart 1)
Summary
The legislations for school inclusion in Brazil, developed from the Brazilian Federal Constitution of of 19883 (instituted the equality of all before the law and recognized the need to guarantee rights for all Brazilian citizens, without discrimination by color, race, religion, political opinion, among other factors), once influenced by ideological changes on the international scenario and the new look at the social role of people with ASD, began to consider the difference as natural to human existence Those formerly supporting actors became main players in the public policies scenario of Brazilian education, influencing the development of a new school model, the inclusive one[4]. In the political and social sphere, the inclusive model has been incorporated into the development of public policies, such as the National Policy of Special Education In the Inclusive Education Perspective[7], which aims to build policies that can promote quality education to all students; the National Policy for the Protection of the Rights of the Person with Autism Spectrum Disorder[8], which protects the rights of people with ASD, enabling their social and personal development; and the Brazilian Law for the Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities[9], which foresees the need of strategies that ensure and promote conditions for the development of citizenship of people with disabilities in all social spheres
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