CONCEPÇÕES DE FAMILIARES SOBRE A ESCOLARIZAÇÃO DO PÚBLICO DA EDUCAÇÃO ESPECIAL NA PANDEMIA

Abstract

This study aimed to analyze the perceptions of family members regarding the schooling process of children in public special education during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, focusing on early childhood education. The research was conducted through semi-structured interviews with two families responsible for three students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) enrolled in a municipal school in the city of Corumbá, Mato Grosso do Sul. The collected material was submitted to content analysis, enabling the identification of thematic categories related to families' perceptions of emergency remote learning and the process of returning to in-person classes. The results indicated that families faced great challenges in maintaining the routine of studying at home, especially due to the lack of specific training to deal with their children's educational needs and the difficulty of accessing technological resources. Despite the limitations, the families' efforts to ensure the continuity of learning were observed, mediating activities proposed by the school and seeking strategies to stimulate the children's development. In the post-pandemic context, participants reported that the return to face-to-face classes represented a moment of readjustment for both students and family members and teachers, requiring patience, acceptance, and readjustment of pedagogical practices, which resulted in advances in children's development. It was found that the pandemic experience reinforced the importance of the partnership between school and family in the educational process, as well as the need for public policies that ensure continuous support for school inclusion and teacher training focused on diversity and educational equity.