Construção e implementação do PEI para crianças com TEA no AEE da educação infantil de um município do MS

Abstract

Considering the schooling process of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in early childhood education, it is necessary to reflect on strategies, methodologies, and educational practices that take into account the Specific Educational Needs (SEN) of each child. In this context, the Individualized Education Plan (IEP) has proven to be an important tool for serving children who are part of the Special Education target audience. With this in mind, a field study was conducted using a qualitative, descriptive approach, aiming to analyze the process of constructing the IEP (Individualized Education Plan) within Specialized Educational Services, offered in the Multifunctional Resource Rooms of Early Childhood Education Centers in a municipality of Mato Grosso do Sul, based on the teachers’ perspectives. Five SEA teachers who worked in the Multifunctional Resource Rooms of Early Childhood Education Centers (CEIMs) participated in the study. Data collection was carried out through a semi-structured interview protocol, which included a characterization form aimed at identifying the participants’ educational background, age, length of teaching experience, as well as their experience with children with ASD and in SEA services. In addition to this form, sixteen questions were asked focusing on the IEP theme. For the data analysis procedure, thematic category subdivision was chosen, based on the criterion of observing and discussing the IEP theme and the relationship between the SEA teacher, the classroom teacher, and the support teacher: Knowledge about the IEP (to understand what they knew about the document); Training for the IEP (to assess whether they had received any training regarding the IEP); IEP development (to understand how they developed the IEP and whether it aligned with the early childhood education stage the child was in); Initial assessment and follow-up (to understand how the initial evaluation was conducted and how follow-up was managed); Challenges in developing and implementing the IEP (to identify the main difficulties in drafting and applying the IEP). As a result, it was possible to infer that, despite the challenges reported by the participants, certain actions need to be implemented to improve the support provided to children with ASD and other disabilities. Among them are: investment in continuous professional development strategies; promotion of collaborative work among school professionals, especially in the development and implementation of the IEP; and the adoption of pedagogically focused tools to assist in the initial assessment of children. Furthermore, it is necessary to develop practices that address the identified weaknesses, contributing to the improvement of inclusive educational policies and ensuring more effective and individualized support in the context of early childhood education.