DECISION-MAKING MODEL FOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TEACHERS TO IDENTIFY AUTISM AND INTELLECTUAL DISABILITY

There are still a significant number of students who enter the elementary school with neurodevelopnnental disorders, such as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Intellectual Disability (ID), without having a diagnosis that guarantees their legal rights to Special Educational Services (SES). According to the Brazilian public health system (SUS), early identification and monitoring of ASD should be carried out by both the health and education teams. The objective of this study was to develop a decision-making model, with a flowchart detailing the required tasks and actions, through the use by elementary education teachers in the public education system of instruments for the evaluation of indicators of ASD and ID. The study was conducted in two phases. Phase 1: Two instruments in a checklist format were produced containing statements about the characteristics of the disorders to assist the teacher in the evaluation of students. Phase 2: Two flowcharts were created, one for each disorder, composed of a set of logically organized sequential activities. The procedure for both flowcharts consisted of a process based on Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN), using the open source platform Business Process Management System (BPMS). The final report allows the visualization of the results from the evaluation, such as checklist's indicators, neuropsychological assessment, emotional and behavioral assessments. The study presents a process model for teachers and educational managers that uses a computer system to assist them in the collection and analysis of data, as well as decision -making in real time to identify students with suspected neurodevelopnnental disorders.