There are more and more children in Portugal with autism spectrum disorders and, despite reinforcement in schools, the number of special education teachers continues to be insufficient. Each class should only have two students with special needs, but there are cases with 10.
The two rooms of a specialized support unit at Escola Básica de São Marcos, in Agualva-Cacém, are increasingly filled with students with special educational needs.
“The fact that we are more aware of warning signs has, in fact, led to a greater number of diagnoses. Teachers, educational teams, health professionals and families are more alert to identify warning signs “, reveals Alexandra Frias, special education teacher.
The first warning signs
The pandemic and later motherhood also help explain the increase in cases. The most recent data from the World Health Organization reveals that one in every 100 school-age children has an autism spectrum disorder.
“Normally they are children with a very significant delay in language, they do not seek social interaction, eye contact, for example. They are children with very specific areas of interest”, says Alexandra Frias.
These may be the first warning signs that parents should be aware of. Early diagnosis is crucial for the child’s difficulties to begin to be addressed from an early age. Alexandra and also Patrícia Teles have been dedicated to students with special educational needs for around 15 years and recognize that the number of cases has been increasing, an increase that the number of professionals has not kept up with.
Each class must have a maximum of two students, but, due to the lack of human resources, at this school in São Marcos, there are classes with eight cases. In Portugal, there are 8,300 special education teachers, a number that school directors consider insufficient.
