Métodos e estratégias para a alfabetização e letramento de crianças com Transtorno do Espectro Autista (TEA): o que fala a literatura acadêmica?

Abstract

This study investigates the methods and strategies used in the literacy and reading instruction of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), based on the analysis of academic literature produced between 2020 and 2026. The research stems from the observation that the body of work on the intersection of ASD, literacy, and reading instruction is recent, making it necessary to systematize what has already been produced, identify convergences, and signal gaps that still require investigation. The theoretical framework draws on authors who investigate the concepts of literacy and reading instruction, mediation and cognitive development, behavioral, cognitive, and constructivist methods applied to ASD, as well as the diagnostic and educational frameworks surrounding the disorder. The research is characterized as qualitative, descriptive, and bibliographic, following a systematic review protocol with searches conducted in the CAPES/MEC Journals Portal using the descriptors "autismo" AND "alfabetização" and "autismo" AND "letramento". After applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 13 articles were selected for interpretive analysis. The results were organized into three axes: pedagogical methods, didactic strategies, and contributions and gaps in the field. Regarding methods, a predominance of hybrid and inclusive approaches was identified, with few studies supporting exclusively behavioral approaches. As for strategies, seven categories were mapped: visual resources, assistive technologies, educational games and playfulness, teacher mediation, Augmentative and Alternative Communication, adapted didactic sequences, and social interaction, with teacher mediation being the most recurrent element. The conclusions indicate that the studies present as main contributions the integration of multiple resources and pedagogical personalization. At the same time, they reveal relevant gaps: literacy as a social practice is underexplored relative to code-based reading instruction; there is insufficient methodological rigor in the described interventions; and teacher training and Specialized Educational Service emerge as underutilized structural conditions. The research concludes that no single method, in isolation, addresses the complexity of ASD, and that the articulation between pedagogical intentionality, affectivity, and continuing education constitutes the most consistent path toward guaranteeing the autistic child's right to reading and writing as practices of cultural and social belonging.