Understanding autistic students’ relationships at school: a dialogical perspective on the development of the self ^{1 2 3}

Estudantes autistas e suas relações na escola: uma perspectiva dialógica sobre o desenvolvimento do self

Abstract

This study mainly aimed to investigate how the relationships established at school affect the constitution of the self of autistic subjects. We carried out a multiple case study with children aged from seven to 14 years old enrolled in a public school that featured diverse profiles, with a total of 11 participants, such as teachers, coordinator, special education assistant (all of them women), as well as five autistic children (three boys and two girls) and two non-autistic girls. During the 6-month period, we conducted interviews with the adults, natural observations of school situations, and collaborative dynamics with the participating children. In light of theories from a dialogical-cultural perspective, it was possible to analyze our findings based on an I-positions framework, self positions, for each participant subject. From the convergence of each of the possible positions of all the subjects, we arrived at three axes of relationship: Playing, Helping, and Caring.

Keywords inclusive education; autism; cultural psychology; dialogical self