Games and play in the learning process of students with ASD: what do the proceedings of the Brazilian Congress of Special Education (2014/2023) tell us?

Abstract

This study aims to analyze how games and play activities have been addressed in the productions of the Brazilian Congress of Special Education as pedagogical resources in the learning process of students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Playing is fundamental to child development, as it favors cognitive, social, communicative, emotional, and motor aspects, especially when intentionally mediated at school. In students with ASD, who may present challenges in communication, social interaction, attention, and adaptation to the school routine, playful resources contribute to more accessible, meaningful, and inclusive teaching. This is a qualitative, bibliographic, and documentary research, of the state-of-the-art type, developed from works published in the proceedings of the Brazilian Congress of Special Education, in the editions of 2014, 2016, 2018, 2021, and 2023. The analysis evidenced different possibilities for the use of games and play activities, including digital games, educational software, memory games, social play activities, assistive technology, alternative communication, playful objects, and activities adapted for literacy and reading-writing development. The results indicate that these resources favor engagement, participation, communication, social interaction, problem solving, and learning, provided that they are accompanied by pedagogical planning, adequate mediation, and adaptation to the students’ needs. It is concluded that playing, when understood as an intentional pedagogical practice, goes beyond the recreational dimension and constitutes a relevant strategy for the school inclusion of students with ASD.