Inclusion of students with special dietary needs: between public policies and pedagogical practices in a municipality in Bahia

Abstract

Despite the conditions that imply dietary restrictions being increasingly common in society and affecting all aspects of some individuals' lives, very little is said about the pedagogical needs involved in these conditions. This is how this study emerged, which sought to understand the pedagogical and curricular processes involved in welcoming students with special dietary needs. To this end, qualitative research was carried out, with observations and subjects involved in welcoming students with special dietary needs in a municipality in Bahia. The study demonstrated that there are important problems in the identification flow of individuals with NAE, which suggests that the number of students served in this condition is greatly underestimated. Teacher training also proved to be a critical point, since all teachers stated that they had not seen this topic in their initial or continuing training. The study also demonstrated that there are aspects that need to be strengthened, such as comprehensive care for these individuals, as well as special needs not related to pathologies. Conclusively, the study demonstrated that special dietary needs definitely imply pedagogical adaptations, making it necessary to expand the dialogue to consider them as special educational needs.