NURSING CARE FOR CHILDREN WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER

Abstract

Introduction: ASD is characterized by difficulties in the areas of social interaction, communication, and language, as well as repetitive behaviors and restricted patterns of interests and activities. Law No. 12,764 of 2012 began to consider autism as a disability for all legal purposes, guaranteeing specific rights to people with ASD through public policies. In this context, nurses play an essential role in the early detection of signs of childhood autism. The diagnosis of ASD requires careful analysis, using specific tools to assess the child's behavior. Based on this, the following guiding question arises: What is the nursing care provided to children with Autism Spectrum Disorder? Methodology: This was a literature review, for which the following guiding question was elaborated: What was the nursing care provided to children with Autism Spectrum Disorder? To conduct the research, data were collected and analyzed from BVS sources, including databases such as LILACS, SCIELO, BDENF, and MEDLINE. The inclusion criteria were defined as follows: studies published between 2019 and 2024, covering a period of five years, were considered; the publications were in Portuguese or English and contained, in the title or abstract, at least one of the descriptors used in the search criteria, in addition to being freely available on the internet. As for the exclusion criteria, studies that did not meet the inclusion criteria mentioned were discarded, as well as course completion papers, such as monographs, reports and dissertations. The search and data collection were conducted based on the following DeCS: Nursing Care; Child; Autism Spectrum Disorder, combined with the Boolean operator AND. After this phase, the critical analysis of the studies and the discussion of the results were carried out simultaneously. Data collection occurred through the reading of all selected studies, taking into account points of interest in the analysis, such as the objectives, results and conclusions of the authors. Expected results: Nurses play an essential role in the care of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), especially in the school environment, promoting health, inclusion and support in physical activities. However, many professionals face difficulties due to a lack of technical training, which impacts the quality of care. Training and ongoing education are urgently needed to ensure adequate and effective care for these children, considering their specific needs and the growing importance of the topic in the health context. Conclusion: The study showed that nurses, as they are on the front line of care, are the first to identify signs of ASD in children. Nursing care goes beyond direct care, including listening, guidance, communication practices and psychosocial support, also involving the family to promote well-being, autonomy and quality of life for the child.