Child education professional training: early identification of signs of autistic spectrum disorder

Author(s)

Carine Ramos de Oliveira

• Document type: Master's Dissertation
• Press: Bauru. 2017-08-03.
• Institution: Universidade Estadual Paulista (Unesp). Faculdade de Ciências. Bauru
• Defense date: 2017-07-14
• Advisor: Olga Maria Piazentin Rolim Rodrigues

Abstract

Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) can be defined as a genetic-based neurodevelopmental disorder, identifiable in early childhood, with persistent impairment in social communication, presence of restricted and repetitive behavior, interests, or activity, that limit and impair the development of the individual (APA, 2014). This study assumes that knowing the characteristics of ASD allows the early identification of its indicators and, consequently, the referral of children to a specialized evaluation. In this perspective, this research aimed to investigate and describe the knowledge and experience of early childhood education professionals with children with ASD, and to elaborate, implement and evaluate the effectiveness of a program of these professionals for the early identification of Indicators of the disorder. For this, this research was divided in two studies. The first one had the objective to investigate and describe: the knowledge of Early Childhood professionals about ASD; The contact of these with this disorder throughout their career in education; Their decisions in identifying children with ASD indicators; The referrals if you have a student with this diagnosis and your opinion about the importance of early diagnosis for early childhood education. A total of 170 professionals from 22 schools of the municipal public education system participated in this study. The data indicated that professionals were not aware of the definition and characteristics of the disorder, despite the fact that most professionals affirmed that they had contact with people with ASD. It was also observed the unpreparedness and insecurity of these in relation to working with children with this disorder, which indicates the need for training on the ASD for the professionals of Early Childhood Education aiming at the early identification of the same. The second study aimed at developing, implementing and evaluating a training program for early childhood education professionals for the early identification of ASD indicators. A total of 126 nursery school teachers from a municipality in the interior of São Paulo participated in the study. The training consisted of three meetings that dealt with: the concept and characteristics typical of ASD, prevalence, three scales of ASD indicators, possible referrals for evaluation of indicators, among other topics. The evaluation of the effectiveness of this training was performed comparing the performance of the professionals in three moments: before the training, immediately after and four months later (follow-up). The results indicated that the training was effective in acquiring and maintaining knowledge about ASD for this public, increasing the chance of early identification of indicators for ASD and the consequent referral to a specialized evaluation of a multiprofessional team. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 15/10010-9 - Professional training of childhood education: identification of early signs of spectrum disorder autista
• Grantee: Carine Ramos de Oliveira-Franco
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master