Participação e ambiente de crianças e adolescentes com Transtorno do Espectro Autista de uma associação do interior do Amazonas

Abstract

Objective: To describe, from the parents' perspective, the participation patterns and environmental factors affecting the participation of children and adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder from an association located in the interior of Amazonas, Brazil. Methods: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted within the FisioTEA extension project in the pediatric physiotherapy sector of the Institute of Health and Biotechnology at the Federal University of Amazonas. The participants were children and adolescents aged 5 to 17 years, with a confirmed or suspected diagnosis of ASD, members of the Association of Parents United for Autistic Individuals of Coari, and involved in the FisioTEA project. Data were collected between October and November 2024 using the project‘s evaluation forms and analyzed using descriptive statistics with Jamovi software. The data collection followed the ethical principles of Resolution 466/2012 and was approved by the Research Ethics Committee. Results: A total of 16 participants were included, most of whom were male (87.5%, n=14). The majority (81.3%, n=13) were enrolled in school. Participation at home had the highest average frequency (6.05 ±1.06), while school had the lowest (4.05 ±1.77); the home environment also showed the highest average engagement (3.1 ±1.63), and school the lowest (2.40 ±1.6). The desire for change was highest in the school setting (87.9% ±20.40) and lowest in the community setting (75.4% ±21.45). Among the environments analyzed, the home presented the highest average level of supports (53.36% ±25.17), while the community presented the lowest (27.2% ±11.70); the community setting had the highest average of barriers (40.8% ±19.59), and the home setting the lowest (19.8% ±17.33). Conclusion: The results indicate that participation among the children and adolescents in this study was most prominent in the home environment, followed by the community and, lastly, the school. Regarding contextual factors, all three environments presented more supports than barriers. However, the community environment exhibited the highest number of barriers, which may negatively impact both the frequency and engagement of participation in that setting.