Lived experiences of people with autism who have completed Higher Education: an investigation in Porto Velho/RO

Abstract

This article is the result of a research that investigated the experiences of a group of people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) who completed Higher Education, identifying factors associated with this conclusion. The work is justified by the need for more research related to the people with autism scholar success in Brazilian Education, especially, in Higher Education. The present investigation was based on the Cultural-Historical Theory, especially on Vygotsky's postulates on Defectology. The research was carried out in Porto Velho, capital of Rondônia State, and the participants’ selection criteria were: being a person diagnosed with autism, graduated in Higher Education and accepting to participate on research. The instrument used for data collection was the semi-structured interview and the data collected were organized and analyzed by the dialectical approach, through the unit of analysis Relationship between lived experiences and their schooling processes, composed of two axes of analysis: i. Experiences Cultural-Historical context of person with ASD and ii. People with ASD development and their schooling processe. The unit of analysis, based on the findings revealed and on the perceived contradictions, indicates that relationships with family members were the most determining factor for the three people with autism who participated on research to achieve scholar success and to complete higher education. Monitoring by professionals and adequate medication were also preponderant factors. But it is necessary to note that not all citizens have a social environment conducive to this type of support.