Presentation of a case study of a student on the autism spectrum in light of Social Work in a school.
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1344/its.i5.46649Keywords:
Autism, Emotional burden of mothers, Systemic approach, Social workerAbstract
Autism is one of the pervasive developmental disorders with many unanswered questions regarding its etiology, treatment and evolution. The purpose of this article is to describe and highlight the way in which social work can intervene in the family environment of a student diagnosed on the autism spectrum. Individual goals are the investigation of the student’s educational profile, the study of the difficulties that arise inside and outside the educational context and the recording of their importance for social work. This article studies, through the principles of qualitative research and the case study of a student from a special school in Northeast Greece, the way in which the profile of the school and the family is formed, as well as the position that the science of Social Work occupies in all this. The results of this research reveal useful aspects of how Social Work can intervene in the social integration of these children. The special needs of the family environment are recorded with an emphasis on the mother and an attempt is made to strengthen her through the intervention of Social Work. The conclusions derived from this work can provide useful theoretical material to the professional field. Issues related to the management of difficulties that arise during raising a child with autism, whether practical or emotional, are mentioned.
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