A relação entre atenção compartilhada e processo de significação no desenvolvimento de crianças com transtornos do espectro autista

Abstract

The present study aimed to analyze the role of shared care of children with autism spectrum disorder in occupational therapy sessions. The adopted perspective was based on assumptions of the socio-historical approach in Psychology. In this approach attention can not be studied in an isolated way, because the development of attention is intertwined with other psychological functions such as memory, perception and mainly language. The functioning of attention reveals a constant state of change, reflecting the history of human interactions with culture. The option to use the socio-historical approach of attention of children with this disorder reflected the predominance of the information, which has been dedicated to the identification of neurobehavioral aspects of autism spectrum disorders. The participants in this study were four children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders. Two children who use speech and two who do not speak between the ages of seven and eleven. These children are treated in the Space Treatment - Rehabilitation and Reintegration of children with autism spectrum disorder in the city of Arapiraca - AL. It is a longitudinal study of multiple cases. The construction of the data was done through videography, and 33 videos were part of the analysis that correspond to the records of the interaction of these children during care in occupational therapy sessions. The results showed that attention sharing was organized as meaning processes, revealing the wide interdependence between attention and language. They also showed that children with this diagnosis shared the attention, be it on the initiative of the child or as a response to an adult. As a conclusion, it was suggested the modification of professional behaviors in the care of children with ASD that have been predominantly based on assumptions of behavioral conditioning. When considering the relationship between attention and meaning processes for this service, it becomes possible to strengthen the position of people with ASD in their relationships with other people and with the world.