Alfabetização de alunos com Transtorno do Espectro Autista: o que professoras de uma escola municipal de Humaitá-AM têm a dizer?

Abstract

Literacy is not the learning of a code, but the learning of a representational system, in which signs (graphemes) represent, not encode, the sounds of speech (phonemes). Thus, this final course project aimed to investigate the main challenges and difficulties faced by teachers in the literacy of students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Based on this premise, the study aims to highlight and analyze the challenges and difficulties faced by literacy teachers of these students. The research participants were three literacy teachers in 1st and 2nd grade classes of Elementary School I, from a municipal school in Humaitá-AM, through a recorded, semi-structured interview, guided by a script of questions on the subject. In order to achieve the objectives of this study, a qualitative (André, 2001), descriptive research approach was chosen, based on Creswell (2014). For this work, three categories were analyzed based on Bardin's (2011) content analysis technique. The results indicate that the challenges are multiple and span formative, pedagogical, behavioral, and sociocultural dimensions. The greatest obstacle does not lie in the pedagogical domain, but in the behavioral and emotional field of the students, often associated with a lack of boundaries, difficulty in social interaction, and a lack of family support. The teachers affirm that students with ASD, even with limitations, are interested in learning, need to be heard, and truly included. It is therefore reaffirmed that the literacy teacher—as a mediator of written culture—has a fundamental role in promoting inclusive practices that recognize the uniqueness of students and guarantee their participation in the world of reading and writing. They emphasize the need for differentiated and continuous training, and for public policies that guarantee these needs.