Teacher training and school inclusion: challenges from the perspective of PET Conexões de Saberes at UFTM

Abstract

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects socialization, communication, and imagination, manifesting up to three years of age, with a higher prevalence in boys. Characteristics include isolation, language difficulties (echolalia and pronoun inversion), repetitive behaviors, resistance to change, motor limitations, and eating problems. Despite their good cognitive potential, these students often encounter barriers to demonstrating skills, making their inclusion difficult. Educational inclusion is essential and should be seen as a human right, based on equality and difference as inseparable values. To promote quality education, it is necessary to compensate paradigms, according to Schmidt (2014), and reformulate educational systems that guarantee access and permanence to all students, independently. However, the quality of inclusion depends on the daily experiences lived in the school environment. Mitler (2003) emphasizes that the participation of children is fundamental to the success of the inclusive process. The interaction between students, teachers and the school community is crucial to create a welcoming and well-marked learning environment. In order to minimize these discomforts, in the search for decent learning conditions and better adaptation to the school environment, it is necessary to have public policies for inclusion and training of teachers and collaborators. Therefore, this work aims to discuss the challenges of school inclusion, especially ASD, in the field of teacher training.