AUTISTIC SPECTRUM DISORDER AND EDUCATION: EVALUATING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF MULTIPROFESSIONAL INTERVENTION IN PROMOTING WELCOMING AND INCLUSIVE ENVIRONMENTS

Abstract

The study aimed to analyze how the inclusive process of children with ASD occurs in the school environment, and how educational practices in health can contribute to the full access and participation of all students, in addition to verifying what are the main challenges faced by teachers for the use of pedagogical strategies for the inclusion of students with ASD,  what are the inclusive practices adopted by school professionals who work directly with children diagnosed with ASD and the benefits of inclusion, and finally identify the benefits of the training of the "Autism Among Us" Project for educators. To carry out the research, we had a qualitative approach, based on the exploratory base, with data collected in the field, and the results were considered descriptive. The study included the participation of 12 early childhood education teachers from three schools in a municipality in the hinterland of Paraíba. Data collection was done through the semi-structured interview technique and its analysis through Bardin's Content Analysis method. The study showed that most teachers still do not feel trained to deal with the demand for inclusion, revealing that they face difficulties in dealing with the behaviors of students with ASD. Thus, the recognition of the need for training and reflective spaces in teams and the strengthening of health and education to promote inclusion is evident.