Educação científica e tecnológica de estudantes autistas: prática pedagógica inclusiva baseada no desenho universal para a aprendizagem, na perspectiva freiriana e ciência, tecnologia e sociedade

Abstract

The socio-communicative, cognitive and sensory demands of students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are not always considered when implementing the regular curriculum. In the case of the Science curricular component, this trend is attributed to limitations that many of these students present in transposing scientific language into everyday life. A curriculum with a thematic approach can socially and historically contextualize the didactic development and learning of concepts and make the content more meaningful for students in the Final Years of Elementary School through dialogue and problematization of situations that arise from their own realities. To this end, in this dissertation, we set out to analyze the contributions of applying a Multistrategic Didactic Unit (MDU), considering Freirian assumptions, the field of STS studies and the DUA guidelines, for the development of an inclusive pedagogical practice together to a class with three autistic students in the 7th year, in Science classes, at a school in the city of Ceará-Mirim/RN. To achieve this objective, we developed qualitative research, which used Freirian Thematic Investigation (FTI), observation, semi-structured interviews and document analysis as data creation instruments. The data were examined according to Discursive Textual Analysis (DTA). From this investigation, socio-environmental vulnerabilities emerged as a generating theme. Based on the FTI and the generating theme, we developed an MDU as an educational product for the contextualized teaching of the concepts of the greenhouse effect, ozone layer thinning and atmospheric changes. The speech of the students during the FTI referred to a concern with the socio-environmental vulnerabilities resulting from the burning of sugarcane straw by the sugarcane agroindustry installed in Ceará- Mirim, which led us to build an action that could influence a municipal public policy that directly affects the school community, the Municipal Environmental Plan. The application of the educational product, which took place in November and December 2023, showed us that the problematizing and dialogical didactic action anchored in the generating theme, with a STS approach and from the perspective of inclusive education, promoted Expanded Scientific- Technological Literacy (STL) at different levels, demonstrating students' awareness of active participation in local socio-environmental issues. Furthermore, the application of MDU proved to be fundamental for the inclusion of autistic students. By considering their specific needs, both socio-communicative, cognitive and sensory, MDU provided more effective and meaningful participation for these students. The multi-strategic didactic-methodological approach facilitated the understanding of scientific concepts and the transposition of these concepts into everyday reality, promoting a more welcoming and inclusive learning environment