Context of The Inclusion of Children with Autistic Spectrum Disorder in Early Childhood Education

The Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a Neurodevelopment Disorder which involves a few deficits pertaining to social and communication skills, as well as repetitive and restrictive behaviors. Brazilian law nº 12.764 of 2012 guarantees and protects the rights of those with ASD. This study’s main objective is to describe the process of inclusion of children with ASD in public institutions of Early Childhood Education in the city of São Luís, Maranhão state, based on the perception of family members and the staff from said institutions. An exploratory descriptive research with a qualitative approach was conducted in two Early Childhood Education institutions with attending ASD children. Participants were 4 family members of children with ASD and 16 staff members who worked with the ASD children in the institutions. After receiving the consolidated opinion from the Ethics Committee (CEP/CONEP/UFMA, Nº 2.891.951), data were collected through semi structured interviews consisting of two scripts: one for family members, and the other for staff. Results showed that although the majority of children with ASD were well treated and accepted by staff and other children without disabilities, there are still many barriers to overcome in the context of Inclusive Education in Early Childhood Education. Among these barriers are those caused by stigmas related to the disorder in question, as well as the fear and/or rejection by parents and other family members of the interaction between their non-disabled children and those with ASD. Most people working with ASD children still feel unprepared. There is a lack of partnership between the studied institutions and the family members of children with ASD, which leads to another barrier to their inclusion in Early Childhood Education.