O uso do videogame para o aperfeiçoamento de habilidades sociais de um adolescente com autismo no ensino comum

Abstract

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), characterized by deficits in social communication/interaction and, consequently, causing impairments in the development of social skills, prompted the emergence of this work, which aimed to analyze whether an intervention through the use of video games, using common commercial games accessible to all audiences, would contribute to the improvement of social skills in a teenager with autism, especially regarding the initiatives and verbal responses of this individual. Many individuals with ASD, despite possessing verbal skills, do not exhibit conversational or oral communication skills, especially with their peers in this age group. The study was conducted with a verbal teenager attending the municipal education system in Pelotas/RS, diagnosed with level 1 support disorder. A quasi-experimental single-case design was used, divided into two phases: baseline (Phase A) and intervention (Phase B). Both phases took place at school, during the student's regular schedule, in physical education classes – a chosen discipline because the National Base Common Curriculum (BNCC) contemplates/foresees the use of electronic games from the sixth grade onwards for the development of skills and competencies outlined for these segments. The study involved the participation of classmates, divided into groups of up to 4 participants, seeking as much rotation as possible so that the participant had the opportunity to engage with the intervention proposal with a broader range of peers beyond those with whom he usually interacts or with whom he might develop a bond through the meetings. Verbal and non-verbal initiatives and responses were analyzed within the context of the activities carried out in physical education classes during the two phases of the study. The results obtained indicate an increase in the frequency of interaction with peers during the intervention phase, especially regarding verbal initiatives.