The child with autism in the playroom: interaction paths and language

Abstract

This paper aims at presenting the results of the study case analyses about interaction modes established between a child with autism and adults in a playroom. It supported by the studies of Lev Semenovitch Vygotsky and Mikhail Bakhtin, who discuss the role of the language in the conscience constitution and emphasize the significance processes that underlie the interactive processes. The field research was carried out inside a university playroom that assisted disabled and non-disabled children once a week, for four months. To do so, it counted with the participation of Physical Education Course graduates, university students and a Psychologist. Data was registered through shootings, audio recordings and field diary records. Taking the study goal into consideration, it was focused on the interactive processes established between a two-year and eight months old autistic boy who does not present an articulated language, and two Researchers. The analyses indicated that the child interacts with adults, using non-verbal resources, subtle at times, and occurring at a short period of time, which are meant by them, allowing keeping the interaction and enriching the interlocution possibilities. The work concludes that, even without an articulated speech, that child is constituted as a subject who is able to be positioned in an active and responsive way in the interactive processes established with the Researchers. In this process, the adult role is fundamental in order to create favorable conditions to the child participation in the dialogic game.