E agora, como posso trabalhar?: desafios e possibilidades de autogestão financeira para mães de filhos(as) com Transtorno do Espectro Autista (TEA)

Abstract

The present study aimed to identify the challenges and possibilities of financial self- management for mothers of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). What the lives of

these mothers were like before and how it came to be after the diagnosis of their children with ASD, if there were changes in their financial and professional lives, if they face challenges to reconcile child care and what these challenges would be. This discussion was developed through a bibliographic, qualitative, documental and field study, with mothers of children with ASD as subjects, who answered a semi-structured questionnaire, adapted from other researches, with questions that answered the proposed objectives. The literature research and the testimonies of mothers of children with ASD confirm that, despite the Public Policies that seek to favor the range of care required by them, there are still no satisfactory solutions to alleviate the challenges of financial self-management of these families, particularly of atypical single mothers. The research highlights the need for solutions and support for these mothers so that they can balance the care of children with ASD and the need for financial self-management. This includes the possibility of working close to where the child is undergoing therapy, working informally, having a support network, or seeking forms of work that allow the necessary flexibility to care for children with ASD and have enough income to meet their needs and have a dignified life. The study was focused on the area of Administration in search of answers to ensure the financial self-management of these mothers and to seek solutions that can actually be put into practice. Thus, helping to compose the labor market with these professionals and mothers who manage their own lives and those of their families, identifying the greatest needs for these mothers to have a better quality of life with their children.