DIALECTICS ON THE BORDERS OF SCHOOL INCLUSION: THE TEACHER AND SPECIALIZED EDUCATIONAL SERVICES - AEE WITH STUDENTS ON THE AUTISM SPECTRUM

Abstract

This research addresses the theme "The Dialectic at the Frontiers of School Inclusion: Teachers and Specialized Educational Services (SEAs) with Students on the Autism Spectrum." Its objective is to clearly and concisely analyze educational practices from the perspective of working in SEAs classrooms with children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) who present changes in communication, social interaction, and behavior. In this sense, we investigated the challenges of their inclusion in different settings, such as the family, school, and the SEAs classroom. Based on this context, we developed bibliographic and qualitative field research with theoretical support from the concepts of the authors: Mantoan (2006), Ropoli (2010), and Coll (2000), among other researchers in this area who research the problem of inclusive education, its potential, challenges, and scientific and pedagogical discussions of Learning Disabilities Disorders (LDs). Likewise, we conducted field research to observe how students with ASD are integrated into a public school in Bahia, considering that school is understood as a space of empathy and respect for differences. In contemporary society, there are reflections of all the historical transformations experienced by society, and new discussions about the inclusion and learning of children with Special Educational Needs are increasingly emerging. This discussion about the meaning of inclusion in the school context is often understood from multiple perspectives, given that schools have historically been more concerned with developing pedagogical practices and building student models according to social interests than with including children and adolescents with some type of disability. In this context, Mantoan (2006) argues that the democratization of education poses major challenges to the Brazilian education system: "Our educational system, faced with the democratization of education, has faced many difficulties in equating a complex relationship, which is to guarantee a quality school for all." It is undeniable that inclusion adds fuel to the fire, and that the Brazilian school system is one of the most difficult, given the number of students we must serve, regional differences, and conservative schools, among other factors (MANTOAN, 2006, p. 23). Thus, the inclusion of students with ASD in the teaching-learning process must be seen not as just another student in the school environment, but rather within a structured, appropriate school environment, with an environment that attracts and fosters actions focused on their interaction, as well as within the school community as a whole. Schools are heterogeneous spaces, where students with diverse characteristics are brought together, regardless of their community, habits, and attitudes. This highlights the significant challenges faced by contemporary schools, and it also contributes to the formation of a just and egalitarian society, and their actions must be developed according to the current needs of this society. In this way of thinking, the role of the school is fundamental in the educational process, from the perspective of considering the totality of the human being, centered on the development of autonomous, critical, and creative thinking in students with ASD. According to Ropoli (2010): "School inclusion requires a school in which all students are included without any conditions that might limit their right to actively participate in the school process, according to their abilities, and without any of these conditions being grounds for differentiation that would exclude them from their classes" (ROPOLI, 2010, p. 8). According to the aforementioned author, it is up to the school and its administrative/pedagogical team to develop actions in search of new ways to adapt, streamline, and enable the acquisition of knowledge to reach the student, thus providing a broad vision, a sensitive perspective, and proposals for an inclusive environment that is appropriate and coherent to the needs of each class. Inclusion requires learning, and this brings with it the need to rethink our concepts of curriculum. This cannot be limited to academic experiences, but must be extended to all experiences that favor the development of both normal and special needs students. Therefore, daily life activities can constitute a curriculum and, in some cases, may be the "content" that will be taught (ROPOLI, 2010, p. 90). It is clear, then, that the school and its faculty must be prepared—that is, adapted in both its physical structure and staff—to welcome students and ensure their inclusion, enabling them to learn how to learn. According to the Salamanca Declaration (1994): Curricula must adapt to the needs of the child, not vice versa. Schools, therefore, will have to provide curricular opportunities that correspond to children with special abilities. and distinct interests. Children with special needs should receive supplemental pedagogical support within the regular curriculum, not a separate curriculum. The guiding principle will be to provide the same education, providing assistance and supplementary support to those who need it (DECLARAÇÃO DA SALAMANCA, 1994, p. 22). Thus, the school is a gradual construction that involves adaptations and must present to all professionals involved in the learning of students with special needs the challenge of dealing with demands and learning the value of collective, reflective, and sensitive work in curricular reorganization, focusing on understanding learning and teaching in a process that socializes, interacts, and develops all the skills and abilities of all students, especially those with disabilities. To achieve inclusion, according to the Declaration of Salamanca (1994): Every school must be a community, jointly responsible for the success or failure of each student. It is the teaching team, rather than the individual teacher, that will be responsible for the education of children with special needs, also inviting parents and volunteers to play an active role in the school's work. Teachers, however, play a fundamental role as managers of the educational process, supporting students in the use of all available resources both inside and outside the classroom (DECLARAÇÃO DA SALAMANCA, 1994, pp. 22-24). In this sense, we understand that school inclusion after the Salamanca Declaration (1994) brought a new perspective to Brazilian education. With a new perspective, and with the understanding that each child has their own skills and potential developed in differentiated ways. Thus, based on the Declaration, the understanding and need to include these children with disabilities in regular schools and ensure their integration into the educational system became a major challenge for schools and the school community. We agree with the contributions highlighted by Silva (2012), when he states that: School inclusion would have the noble objective of putting children with special needs in contact with their peers, which would facilitate their development and teach the entire group that it is possible to live with diversity, building a better world. Talking about inclusion with diversity is a delicate and complex topic when we move beyond theory and into effective practice in schools (SILVA, 2012, p. 112). Therefore, we believe that one of the great challenges facing schools when it comes to the inclusion of students with special needs, and especially those with ASD, is related to the process of inclusion itself: development, reflection, functional behavior, teaching-learning, and attitudes. Considering that the development of these children depends on the effectiveness of appropriate teaching that develops their emotional, cognitive, and social skills, Coll (2000, p. 22) states that: [...] all schools and all teachers who serve children with global developmental disorders require external support and guidance from specialists. Guidance from well-trained advisors is essential for them. Teachers who lack sufficient support often feel frustrated, anxious, and powerless ( ). Thus, as an institution designed to transmit knowledge built and accumulated from generation to generation, schools today, with the implementation of inclusive education, face challenges that can be seen in the inadequacy of their physical space and the inadequate training of teachers to meet Special Educational Needs (SEH) both in the regular classroom and among professionals working in SEH (School of Special Needs). (CUNHA, 2014). Given these facts, we realize that there are many obstacles to be overcome, especially regarding the process of school inclusion in the 21st century. Thus, there is an urgent need to rethink the role of schools in the developmental process of students with ASD in all their aspects, as well as their curriculum and pedagogical practices. Supported by this theoretical framework, the study revealed, among other things, that schools remain fragile as institutions, limiting teaching and learning to mechanistic theories. The research also revealed the need for schools to reframe their practices and competencies as a social function for students with ASD. These results lead us to rethink the meaning of inclusion and the urgency with which public policies reframe the responsibility for teacher training, which is a fundamental tool for serving students with ASD. Without these policies, it will be difficult to achieve inclusive education that guarantees the rights provided for in Brazilian law.