IMPACTS OF SOCIAL ISOLATION ON THE INCREASE OF CHILDREN WITH AUTISTIC SPECTRUM DISORDER IN CER-II (Atena Editora)

Abstract

Introduction: The emergence of the virus that causes COVID-19 culminated in a pandemic experienced globally, with direct impacts on several areas of human existence. In this scenario, many people found themselves forced to adhere to social isolation, in a process of distancing themselves from affective bonds, which were previously common. Furthermore, the prognosis of people who have Autism Spectrum Disorder has become limited at different levels of attention, health care and rehabilitation for this population who participate in activities that foster their autonomy and favor their development. From this perspective, the diagnostic construction of Autism Spectrum Disorder in children also suffered obstacles, which may have contributed to a process of high demand for specialized rehabilitation devices, after the mitigation of health safety restrictions implemented during the pandemic. Goal: Reflect on the impacts of social isolation and the reduction of social stimuli with the increase in diagnoses of Autism Spectrum Disorder based on the internship experience at a Specialized Rehabilitation Center II (CER II) located in the interior of northeastern Brazil. Methodology: This is an experience report, linked to a mandatory curricular internship carried out by undergraduate Psychology students, through open interviews with workers at a CER-II, in the city of Santa Cruz, RN.

Results and Discussion: Themes recurrently present in the content of interviews with service workers are related to the increase in the number of children hypothesized and diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder after the pandemic, when they encountered difficulties in dealing with the demand. As it is a public service, there is dependence on the government to expand specialized functions, with a reduction in investment during the pandemic, when few cases with Autism Spectrum Disorder sought the service. Mention was made of the difficulty of younger children adapting, initially, to the dynamics of the CER, in relation to aspects inherent to the space, such as the movement of many people and noise, aspects presented as triggers for frustration in children, such as intense crying. Conclusion: Through interviews with CER workers, it was found that the decrease in interactions can be pointed out as a hypothesis for the presence of an increase in the number of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder referred for assistance at CER-II. Many of the children monitored in this device were born in the pandemic context, when the promotion of socio-environmental stimuli, fundamental for child development, were limited in several situations. This hypothesis is pointed out as contributing to the appearance of signs of the disorder. In this sense, the work developed at CER with children has sought to insert symbolic elements and socially shared meanings through strategies such as playing, interaction with different people and environments, respecting the particular development process of each child and resources available on the device.