PSYCHOMOTRICITY AS A STRATEGY FOR SCHOOL INCLUSION: INTERVENTIONS WITH STUDENTS WITH AUTISM AND REDUCED MOBILITY

Abstract

Psychomotricity, understood as the integration of body, movement, affectivity, and cognition, constitutes a pedagogical approach that recognizes the subject in their totality, considering diverse ways of learning and interacting. In the school context, especially in practices focused on inclusive education, this perspective favors the construction of meaningful experiences that promote participation and belonging. This undergraduate thesis aimed to analyze how psychomotor interventions can contribute to the development of students with specific educational needs, particularly one student with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and another with reduced mobility, enrolled in a municipal public school in Cuiabá-MT. The research adopted a qualitative approach, with a descriptive and interventional character, conducted through planned psychomotor sessions featuring imitation activities, sensory exploration, movement games, and interaction dynamics. Records were kept via a field diary, enabling an interpretive analysis of the experiences and relationships established throughout the process. It was observed that the interventions favored progress in non-verbal communication, joint attention, and the expansion of student participation in collective activities, indicating that the body, when recognized as a language, enables broader forms of expression and bonding. The results show that psychomotricity acts as a mediator in relationships and in the construction of bonds, contributing to the strengthening of autonomy and the students' sense of belonging in the school environment. It is concluded that, by integrating movement, affection, and interaction, psychomotricity constitutes a relevant pedagogical strategy for promoting school inclusion. As a future development, it is recommended to conduct studies with larger samples, data triangulation through interviews with family members and teachers, and longitudinal monitoring throughout a school year to deepen the understanding of the effects of psychomotor practices in the daily educational routine.