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Autism, Professional education; Higher education; Professors improvement; Special education.
The number of students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in higher and professional education institutions is increasing. This phenomenon is attributed, among other factors, to the broad national legislation that guarantees to these young people the right to regular education. Regarding the access, research data highlights elements that make it difficult for the population to stay and the academic success of this population in said institutions. Is noticed the lack of teachers’ preparation to receive these students. In this scenario, the objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a collaborative consulting program for teacher’s capacitation at the Instituto Federal do Rio Grande do Norte (IFRN) regarding the teaching and learning process of students with ADS. The study, characterized as collaborative action research ,was divided in 3 phases: in the first phase, a survey of the knowledge and training demands of 49 teachers of the institution about ADS was carried out, as well as analyzed the perception of two autistic students about their own schooling process. In the second stage a training course was performed, which was divided into 2 modules, for 37 professors. Through interviews and surveys applied in the third study phase, knowledge gains and changes in teaching practices were evaluated both from the point of view of teachers and students. The results of this study indicate actions that favor social and educational inclusion of students with ADS in higher and professional educational institution.