PEDAGOGICAL PRACTICES IN THE INCLUSION OF STUDENTS WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER

AN ANALYSIS OF TEACHERS’ NARRATIVES IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Abstract

The expansion of inclusive education policies in recent decades has led to an increase in the enrollment of students with disabilities in mainstream schools, posing new challenges for the organization of pedagogical practices in everyday school contexts. Among these students, those with Autism Spectrum Disorder require teaching strategies that are sensitive to the specificities of their communication, interaction, and learning processes. This article aims to analyze how public school teachers construct inclusive pedagogical practices in the schooling of students with Autism Spectrum Disorder, with an emphasis on the resources and strategies mobilized in daily school life. The study adopts a qualitative approach and is grounded in Oral History as its methodological framework for producing teachers’ narratives. Five teachers from early childhood education and the early years of elementary school participated in the research. The findings indicate that inclusive practices are developed through professional experience and the observation of students’ needs, involving pedagogical adaptation, flexible time management, and the organization of supportive learning environments. However, these practices take place in contexts marked by structural limitations, evidencing processes of individualization of responsibility in teachers’ work, in line with dynamics associated with neoliberal rationality.