A função do acompanhante terapêutico no contexto escolar: o diálogo entre o ATE e o professor

Abstract

This article addresses the intersection between the role of the School Therapeutic Companion (ATE) and the Teacher in the educational context, focusing on people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). It brings an excerpt of the Internship Scarried out in a public school of the education network of the city of Natal - RN. It aims to reflect on the role of the School Therapeutic Companion (ATE) with training in pedagogy in the context of Early Childhood Education. In carrying out the work, the qualitative approach was chosen, it is characterized as an exploratory research. In the data collection, we used semi-structured interviews with a teacher and an ATE. The data analyzed from the studies of Kupfer and Petri, Silva, among others, found that the performance of the ATE in the school context promotes interaction, dialogue and exchange between the pedagogical work developed by the teacher, allows the child with ASD the exchange an the possibility of learn how to use strategies to minimize the challenges they encounter in the child's inclusion process. It is noteworthy that the presence of the Therapeutic Companion in the school context does not replace the teacher's performance. In this sense, the ATE needs to be trained to know how to act in the classroom, for example: encourage the child's attention to the commands and guide their participation in the activities; Even if it needs adaptation and support from this professional, it should be emphasized that the teacher is the reference for the entire educational process.