Social participation and barriers related to children with ASD in a Paraíba municipality

Abstract

Objectives. To assess the level of social participation of children with ASD in the city of Campina Grande, as well as to identify possible barriers and facilitators to social participation in the home, school and community environments. Method. A descriptive, cross-sectional study using a quantitative approach was conducted at the Autistic Care Center with 40 parents and caregivers of children with ASD. The subjects were subjected to the application of a sociodemographic questionnaire and the Participation and Environment Measure - Children and Youth (PEM-CY). Results. Children/adolescents showed greater participation at home in the variables of "frequency", "involvement", "desire for change" and "number of activities performed", with an average represented by 40.30%. In addition, the "home" also presented the highest scores in variables of environmental factors related to "help". The school was the environment with the highest score in the variable "environmental resources", while the community presented higher scores in the variable "barriers". Conclusion. The social participation of children with ASD in the city of Campina Grande is limited due to the barriers present in the communities. In addition, the level of participation becomes more expressive when it is focused on the home and school environments.