THE FUNCTIONALITY PROFILE OF CHILDREN WITH AUTISTIC SPECTRUM DISORDERS (ASD) IN THE AZORES – COMMUNICATION, LEARNING AND AUTONOMY

Autism is a disorder of the neuro-development characterized by persistent difficulties in communication, cognitive processes, social interaction and also by restrict interests and repetitive and stereotyped behaviours. Regarding to the vision of Universal Design for Learning(UDL), the educational approach should enhance not only the academic acquisitions but also the prognosis of the evolution of the clinical condition and of the functionality of children with Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD). Thus, it was considered important to know the perspective of educators / teachers and parents / guardians for the 121 children with ASD who participated in this study.These children, aged 3-11 years old, live in the Azores (ARA) and are enrolled in kindergarten and in primary schools.Data were collected with a questionnaire (educators/teachers) and in an interview (parents/caretakers). Results suggest that there are different perspectives between the two groups, with educators/teachers viewing the functionality profile of these children as being more aggravated. These differences are statistically significant, especially in terms of the functionalities assessed by the items of communication and learning. The analysis of these different perspectives evidences the importance of the communication between these educational providers regarding the work developed by them.