The child with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD)

a case study of the intervention of Occupational Therapy from the bioecological theory of human development

Abstract

There are several approaches and therapeutic procedures adopted by professionals who work with children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), and the occupational therapist is one of the professionals who make up the multiprofessional team involved in the care of this population. The objective of the present study was to describe and analyze the process of intervention of Occupational Therapy with a child diagnosed with TEA and his family, in light of the Bioecological Theory of Human Development (TBDH) of Urie Bronfenbrenner. The research was carried out through a case study, using the methodology of Ecological Insertion. A five-year-old child with a diagnosis of ASD and the person responsible and the Occupational Therapy trainee who followed her in the semester at the School Health Unit (USE) of the Federal University of São Carlos participated in the study. For the collection of data were used: a form for identification of the child, interview script with the relative, interview script with the station and field diary. The data collected through the instruments were analyzed descriptively from the TBDH. Among the main results, it was identified that the occupational therapist acts by enhancing the development, through the interaction of the child with objects and people, of playing, favoring the processes of social and school inclusion.