THE ROLE OF THE FAMILY AND SCHOOL COMMUNITY IN EFFECTIVE INCLUSION OF STUDENTS WITH ASD

Abstract

This article investigates, from an interdisciplinary perspective, the role played by families and the school community in ensuring the inclusion of students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in the Brazilian educational environment. Considering the legislative advances and social transformations that demand a school for all, it examines how the articulation between these actors can promote, hinder, or transform inclusive practices, against the backdrop of the fundamental rights of people with disabilities and the principles of inclusive education (TEIXEIRA and DRUMMOND and BARBOSA, 2022). The study is based on a literature review, document analysis, and investigation of concrete experiences, seeking to highlight the factors that favor co-responsibility and cooperation in promoting successful school trajectories for students with ASD. The research is based on the understanding that school inclusion transcends curricular or architectural adaptations, requiring profound cultural and relational changes. In this sense, the importance of the family's active involvement in building emotional bonds, supporting the student's specific needs and mediating dialogue with the school is highlighted. This study examines how family expectations, values, and knowledge influence the development of autonomy, self-esteem, and learning in students with ASD, as well as how schools welcome and integrate these contributions into their pedagogical projects (LIMA and ANTUNES, 2024). The results indicate that effective inclusion for students with ASD requires a collective commitment supported by public policies, teacher training, active family participation, and engagement with the school community (LIMA and ANTUNES, 2024). Promoting dialogic spaces, valuing uniqueness, and building support networks are identified as essential strategies for overcoming barriers and consolidating a truly inclusive school, in which difference is recognized as a constitutive element of democratic education.