The Santos Dumont Institute (ISD) held this Monday, June 20, the first edition of the TEApoiar Course. The continuing education action is aimed at parents and caregivers of children undergoing diagnostic investigation or already diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) who live in one of the municipalities of the 7th Health Region (Extremoz, Macaíba, Natal, Parnamirim and São Gonçalo do Amarante). 

“The aim of the course is to provide parents and caregivers of autistic children with moments of health education so that they can do daily stimulation with their children. It is an important moment for us to also listen to the main difficulties and discuss appropriate handling”, explains ISD speech therapist Luana Aprígio. 

At least 12 parents and caregivers participated in the course. They were encouraged to create a kind of soccer field, pointing out favorable and opposing players in their daily dealings with people involved in TEA. They pointed out, among the main negative points, the lack of adequacy of schools and professionals in the education network, especially the public one, in welcoming autistic children in classrooms. 

“One of the group's objectives is to provide support, support to parents whose children are not yet included in treatment here at Anita”, stressed neuropediatric preceptor Celina Reis. 

Among the initial suggestions discussed in the first meeting of the group, there are: feeding tips, tips for day and night enjoyment, visual tips for communication in daily life, tips on how to deal with emotions and difficult phases, aggressiveness in autistic children, stimulation of autonomy and independence, setting up a sensory corner at home, first aid guide, school and social inclusion, reasons to believe in the child's potential, how to choose therapists, medication and medication, toys and games, and welcoming parents in emotional distress.  

The next meeting for this group will be on July 18, at 2 pm, at the Paulo Freire Auditorium, at the headquarters of the Anita Garibaldi Health Education and Research Center (Anita), in Macaíba. 

Team

The following ISD preceptors participated in the course: Luana Aprígio, speech therapist; Jardany Barros, occupational therapist; Celina Reis, neuropediatrician; Caroline Leôncio, neuropsychologist; Robson Rates, psychologist; Luciana Câmara, nutritionist; Cecilia Britto, psychologist; Renata Rocha, social worker; in addition to psychology interns Pablo Gustavo and Paulo Celestino, and resident Érika Juliana Bezerra. 

Autism

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) “refers to a series of conditions characterized by some degree of impairment in social behavior, communication and language, and by a narrow range of interests and activities that are unique to the individual and performed repetitively”.

Data from the US agency Center of Diseases Control and Prevention Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (CDC/ADDM) estimate that one in every 44 children worldwide is autistic. The survey proves the increase in the number of cases diagnosed over time, as this proportion has already reached 1 for every 500 children in the past. In Brazil, the numbers related to the condition are not faithful, as there is no official survey carried out by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), for example. Current data from the CDC estimate that the condition affects 70 million people worldwide, with 2 million in Brazil. 

Timeline 

Dates available for booking the course:

Group 1 - In progress
June 20, 2022 

Time: 2 pm 

30 vacancies available

Group 2

September 12, 2022 

Time: 09:00

30 vacancies available

Group 3

November 14, 2022

Time: 09:00

30 vacancies available