School Experiences and Autism Spectrum Disorder: What Do Children Say?

ABSTRACT This study aimed at investigating the conceptions of children with typical development about their school experiences in contexts of inclusion of classmates with Autism Spectrum Disorder - ASD at two different moments, at the beginning and at the end of the school year, in order to verify possible changes over these conceptions as from the peers’ contact with ASD. As many as 42 children aged 4-5 years old took part, from two child education institutions in the city of João Pessoa, state of Paraíba, Brazil, who had classmates in their classrooms diagnosed with ASD. Semi-structured interviews were applied with children with typical development, which were transcribed and analyzed using Bardin’s content analysis technique. As results, the children mentioned positive adjectives when describing their daycare, teacher, and peers, both at the beginning and at the end of the school year. It was also common for children to describe the daycare in terms of the activities they performed in their routine, and the people, in relation to their behaviors. As classmates with whom the children did not play, those with typical development that presented aggressive behaviors were mentioned. About their classmates with ASD, they were considered by their peers as favorite classmates, also highlighting the use of the terms “special” or “baby” to characterize them, and the fact that over time they became viewed from their capacities and interests. Lastly, the importance of studying school inclusion from the perspective of children is discussed.