Percepções sobre a corporeidade nas práticas pedagógicas do professor de educação especial junto a alunos com transtorno do espectro autista

Abstract

This master's thesis aims to understand whether the phenomenon of corporeality is present in the pedagogical practice of Special Education teachers in the Specialized Educational Assistance (SEA) for students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in municipal schools of Santarém, Pará. Additionally, it seeks to address the importance of Special Education in promoting the inclusion of students with specific educational needs, with a focus on ASD. The relevance of SEA as an essential service is highlighted, as well as the contributions of the phenomenon of corporeality in the pedagogical practices of teachers in this context. To achieve this objective, a qualitative approach was adopted, based on a phenomenological perspective and enriched by the discourse of the phenomenon of corporeality. Data collection occurred in the field, allowing for the production of information directly in the natural environment where the phenomena unfold. To this end, sociodemographic questionnaires and semi-structured interviews were employed. Data analysis followed the Technique of Elaboration and Analysis of Meaning Units, developed by Moreira, Simões, and Porto (2005). This research involved eight female teachers from municipal schools in the urban area of Santarém, Pará. From the perception of the interviewed professionals, the data obtained, in accordance with the methodology used, indicate that Special Education teachers working in SEA tend to prioritize the intellectual aspect of students with ASD. These results allow for reflection on how, by focusing on corporeality within the school environment in Special Education, educational processes are still maintained from the perspective of shaping bodies to be agile, strong, and intelligent, according to established standards. This approach, however, often disregards the view of the human being as a whole. This suggests the need to rethink educational pedagogical practices and promote a more holistic view of inclusion, taking into account the challenges and potentialities of students. By delving into this topic, it is hoped to contribute to the development of a more inclusive, equitable, and humanized education, not only in Santarém, Pará, where the research was conducted but in any educational environment that recognizes and values students as whole beings, constituted by experiences lived in the world, who learn from relationships established with themselves, others, and their surroundings. Finally, thinking about corporeality in SEA reveals that the experience of a lived reality precedes any knowledge by understanding the human being as a being-in-the-world, open to this world with infinite possibilities.