Caminhos para a inclusão: percepções dos professores que ensinam matemática acerca da inclusão de alunos com Transtorno do Espectro Autista (TEA)

Abstract

The inclusion of autistic students has been frequent in our classrooms. Special education helps to promote methodologies that enable the inclusion of these students. In parallel with inclusion in school spaces, it is important to reflect on the subject in teacher training. The objective of this research was to identify the perceptions of teachers who teach mathematics to autistic students regarding their inclusion in their classrooms. As a way of analyzing such perceptions, we sought to answer the following research question: How do mathematics teachers perceive their practices regarding the inclusion of students with Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in their classrooms. To answer our research question, we developed a workshop with Mathematics and Pedagogy teachers entitled “Autism in Teacher Training”. Based on these teachers' experiences and statements, we were able to understand their perceptions. The work in question has a qualitative, exploratory nature. Our research was based on Vygotsky's cultural-historical theory. We relied on Meaning Nucleus for the analysis of our data. This theoretical basis helped us to identify the senses and meanings expressed by the participants of our workshop. The moments of reflection on autism made it possible for teachers to share their experiences and to realize that other teachers have the same concerns in the school environment. In this sense, based on the teachers' perceptions, we identified the difficulty of families in thinking and understanding the process of inclusion of autistic students when faced with the diagnosis. This difficulty reflects on the relationship between school and family. Regarding the development of activities, we noticed that teachers use didactic and manipulative resources, in addition to adapting activities with the aim of enabling an increasingly inclusive teaching and learning process. Finally, we highlight the importance of training spaces with reflections and discussions on the inclusion of autistic students in classrooms. We hope that the occurrence of these spaces can increasingly collaborate with the school practices of these teachers in our schools.