Between Affection and Method: Challenges and Strategies in School Mediation

Abstract

This experience report analyzes the challenges faced by a Pedagogy intern while providing school mediation for a nonverbal student with severe Autism Spectrum Disorder in the early years of elementary school. The study uses participant observation, field-diary records, and qualitative analysis. The experience highlights the complexity of everyday inclusive practice, characterized by the student’s alternation between episodes of dysregulation caused by sensory overload and communication barriers and moments of affection. Based on historical-cultural theory and behavior analysis, strategies for structuring the environment were implemented, including visual routines and multisensory curricular adaptations. The study critically examines gaps in initial teacher education regarding special education and questions the use of interns as the sole support for inclusion in light of the Brazilian Inclusion Law. It concludes that effective mediation requires moving beyond romanticized views by combining scientific method with affection.