Comunicação e interação social de crianças com Transtorno do Espectro do Autismo: possíveis efeitos de uma intervenção mediada por pares.

Abstract

As Autism Spectrum Disorder is a disorder that can cause a deficit in the development of communication/social interaction skills, this study aimed to analyze the possible effects of a peer-mediated intervention with typical development on the number of communicative/interactive acts of children with Disorder of the Autism Spectrum who attend the municipal education system in Pelotas/RS. The study is characterized by a single case experimental research, through a multiple baseline design and was divided into three stages: baseline, intervention and generalization. All the steps took place in the classroom during activities proposed by the head teacher of the class. It was selected three students with Autism Spectrum Disorder, between four and five years old, who attended a pre-school class in the regular education system, in addition to peers with typical development who were colleagues of the target students of the research. The total number of communicative/interactive acts of the target child with peers were analyzed, divided into: verbal, non-verbal and out-of-context acts, both of initiative and responses. All of the participants registered an increase in all variables, except for acts out of context. The results are in line with the findings of international research, however, there is a need for more research in this area within the Brazilian context and with a larger sample.