COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT OF AUTIST STUDENTS: A CASE STUDY ABOUT THE SUPPORT TEACHER AT COLÉGIO ESTADUAL DE GOIATUBA (GO)

Autism is among the Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD) most present in people, it is usually detected in childhood and, mainly, when the child starts his school life. Autistic disorders are complex neurological disorders that affect the acquisition of diverse skills throughout life. To be able to help students reach their full potential, it is necessary to understand this disorder and its characteristics, as well as the essential elements for this student to achieve school success. This article aimed to analyze whether students with Autistic Spectrum Disorder can develop their cognitive skills in the school context and the importance of the Support teacher in this process. The methodology used was a qualitative approach and case study, the instruments used were the observation report and a semi-structured interview with the Support teacher and with the teachers of the Portuguese Language and Mathematics subjects. The study concluded that understanding the feelings of the autistic is essential for success in learning to happen, however, the teachers of the curricular subjects do not have training aimed at teaching this group and, much less, availability in the classroom to do so, as generally the rooms are overcrowded, and it becomes impossible to get the individualized attention they need. In this way, the Support teacher is the key piece for learning to take place. Future studies should be more comprehensive and address all students diagnosed with autism in state, municipal, and private schools to understand the importance and essentiality of the Support teacher, since, sometimes, the school system itself has the belief that the regent teacher could teach this student, thus making the presence of the Support teacher unnecessary.