Teachers’ Perception in Relation to the Sensory Processing of Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder

ABSTRACT: This study aimed to identify the perception of teachers in relation to the sensory processing of students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Nineteen teachers of Early Childhood Education and early grades of Elementary Education from public schools in a municipality in the state of São Paulo, Brazil, participated in the research, as well as their 62 students. Data collection was carried out between the months of September 2018 and May 2019. A scale assessment of the Sensory Profile 2 of School Monitoring was used, which evaluates children and adolescents from the perspective of the teachers. The analysis of the results occurred through the categories of the instrument. In all categories, Quadrants (Sensory seeking, Sensory Avoiding, Sensory Sensitivity And Low Registration), Sensory and Behavioral Sections (Auditory, Visual, Tactile, Vestibular and Behavioral) and School Factors (School Factor 1, School Factor 2, School Factor 3 and School Factor 4 ), the classification of “More and Much More than the Majority of the Others” expressed the highest percentage, totaling, in all aspects assessed by the instrument 62.9%. The study identified that students with ASD, who have a characteristic profile of Sensory Integration dysfunctions are impacted by the condition of body structure and function in the teaching and learning processes and the participation in activities within the classroom. The results point to the importance of the occupational therapist’s actions in the school environment through collaborative work with the teacher, since the results in relation to the sensory profile directly interfere with the performance of students with ASD in view of the demands of activities in the school context.

摘要：本研究旨在探究教师对自闭症谱系障碍（Autism Spectrum Disorder）学生感觉加工状况的认知。研究对象为巴西圣保罗州某直辖市的公立学校中，19名学前教育及小学低年级教师，及其所带的62名学生。数据采集工作于2018年9月至2019年5月间开展。本研究采用教师视角的学校版感觉概貌量表2（Sensory Profile 2）进行评定，该量表可从教师视角评估儿童与青少年的感觉加工水平。结果分析依据该量表的分类维度展开，涵盖四大象限（感觉寻求（Sensory seeking）、感觉回避（Sensory Avoiding）、感觉敏感（Sensory Sensitivity）与低感知登记（Low Registration））、感觉与行为维度（听觉、视觉、触觉、前庭觉及行为维度），以及学校因素维度（学校因素1、学校因素2、学校因素3与学校因素4）。结果显示，“远超多数群体”的分类在所有评估维度中占比最高，在该量表覆盖的全部评估维度中总占比达62.9%。本研究发现，具备感觉统合失调典型特征的自闭症谱系障碍学生，其身体结构与功能状态会对教学与学习过程，以及课堂活动参与度造成影响。研究结果表明，作业治疗师通过与教师开展协作，在校园环境中开展干预工作具有重要意义，因学校场景中的活动要求会直接影响自闭症谱系障碍学生的表现，而感觉概貌量表的评估结果与该表现密切相关。