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The constitution of subjectivity in autistic adolescents: a glance at life stories

Human development is a result of social relations that are mediated, experimented and internalized by the individual. Thus, the way the subject is included in their social group has definite impacts on their constitution. Due to changes in social interaction, language and the presence of stereotyped behaviors, autistic subjects can have their participation in social and cultural life restricted, making their difficulties more pronounced. The objective of this study was to analyze the dialogic processes of five autistic adolescents focusing on: evidence taken from experiences lived by them in their daily lives and from social enunciations impregnated in their oral discourses, attempting to find subsides for the therapeutic process of such subjects. The empirical material was collected from two individual speech-language therapy sessions, which were recorded and transcribed, with three autistic adolescents. The sessions were addressed by looking at subjects' life stories and personal photographs were used as therapeutic resources. The analyses were qualitative and supported by microgenetic analysis. Results show that the subjects' experiences are provided by their school and family, and are related to leisure, trips, birthday parties, contact with more distant relatives, church. We also observed that parents and professionals extend the autistic person's childhood, representing them as children even during adolescence. Autistic subjects were observed to have relationships restricted to their families, with little opportunity for close contact with other people. We conclude that autistic subjects go through important and significant cultural experiences. However, they have little contact with peers from their age group.

Special Education; Autism; Adolescence; Human Development; Language


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