O conhecimento de professores sobre comunicação aumentativa e alternativa e tecnologia assistiva no estado do Rio Grande do Norte

Abstract

There are people who are deprived of oral communication due to childhood development disorders, genetic syndromes and/or neurological diseases. In these cases, Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) is used, which is a practical, clinical and/or educational area that seeks to compensate, temporarily or otherwise, for losses in expressive communication. Socialization is an interactive process of communication, in which a child meets his/her needs and assimilates the culture. There is no environment more conducive to the development of socialization than school, as it is a social institution that generates greater repercussions for individuals in their early years. In view of this, the objective of this study is to analyze the knowledge of teachers in the state of Rio Grande do Norte about AAC and Assistive Technology (AT). This is a cross-sectional, descriptive-evaluative study, with qualitative and quantitative analysis. Teachers from the regular classroom and the multifunctional resource room who answered the two questionnaires were selected. The results showed that external complementary professional training for special education has a positive and cumulative effect, not only related to communication skills, but also in the clinical and educational learning of disabilities. It is concluded that there is a need for continued training in AAC to promote social interaction, inclusion and learning. Trained teachers have improved the instrumentalization of AAC in schools, allowing a greater number of children to be able to develop cognitively and linguistically.