Práticas pedagógicas desenvolvidas com uma criança com transtorno do espectro autista em um centro municipal de educação infantil de Maceió

Abstract

In recent years, the rise in enrolment of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in nurseries and pre-schools has presented new challenges for teachers and educational settings. This study aims to reflect on the pedagogical practices developed to guarantee children with ASD the right to education, seeking to understand the extent to which these practices align with the current approach to early years education. We start from the hypothesis that these practices must be developed from everyday life and their relationship with children’s lived experiences, interactions and play. This is a qualitative, literature-based study, drawing on the work of Barbosa (2006; 2010), Fochi (2023), Fortunati (2019; 2021), Ribeiro (2023) and Rinaldi (2016; 2024), amongst other scholars addressing identity, practices and the curriculum in early childhood education, and on the research of Drago (2014a; 2014b), Martins et al. (2010), Mendes (2010; 2015; 2018), Sella and Ribeiro (2018) and Schmidt (2013; 2016), in which we will explore the discussion on special needs education in early childhood education and ASD. For this study, we opted for a case study conducted at a Municipal Early Years Education Centre (CMEI) within the municipal education network of the city of Maceió, in the state of Alagoas, seeking to address the following research question: what teaching practices are employed with a child with Autism Spectrum Disorder at a Municipal Early Years Education Centre within the municipal education network of Maceió, Alagoas? The methodological tools used were: semi-structured interviews with the management team (coordinator and headteacher), school support staff (PAE) and reference and special education teachers; non-participant observation, analysis of teaching plans and a field diary. The results of the interviews indicate that the challenges of school inclusion in early childhood education involve a lack of continuing professional development, highlighting the need for such training to be offered regularly and to cover topics related to inclusion in early childhood education. With regard to planning, it was observed that it does not promote coordination and alignment amongst the professionals involved in inclusion processes. Finally, this study highlighted the importance of ensuring access to the curriculum and to these practices not merely as a right, but in a way that is of high quality and appropriate, and done so intentionally, in order to foster the child’s full development. Also highlighted are continuing professional development, dialogue and collaborative work among the professionals involved in this process to contribute to the development and learning of students with ASD in early years education.