Challenges and possibilities of school inclusion of children with Zika Virus Congenital Syndrome: the teacher’s view

Abstract

The Congenital Syndrome of the Zika Virus (SCVZ) rushed in, between 2015 and 2018, 3.226 children throughout Brazil. These children were born with a pattern of multiple disabilities, including visual, auditory, motor, and cognitive deficits. Three years have passed since the beginning of the epidemic, and there is a need to discuss their inclusion in school, since, due to the problems caused by the Syndrome, specialized social and educational support is essential. The objective of the present study is to present the results of an investigation about the challenges and possibilities of teaching to children with SCVZ, from the perspective of two teachers working in Early Childhood Education in the public school system of Pernambuco. We used as a research instrument a total of five semi-structured interviews. The results obtained in this study indicate that the main factors that hinder the inclusion of children with SCVZ, recognized by teachers are: poor conditions in the physical structure of the school; and the lack of knowledge of the specificities of the Syndrome. However, during the research, when they continued to prospect about the future, the professionals consider that in view of the situation of teaching for children with SCVZ, they would promote situations of inclusion, from the use of concrete, colored materials and textures. Faced with the results obtained, we conclude that the teachers imagine challenges, and even possibilities for teaching children to SCVZ to be successful, but due to a lack of technical preparation on the Syndrome, they can not trace possibilities of action more directed to multisensory, cognitive, motor and socio-affective of these students...