PRACTICE REPORT OF INTEGRATED TELEHEALTH IN OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY AND PSYCHOLOGY: SEARCHING FOR AUTONOMY AND SOCIAL INVOLVEMENT

Abstract

Based on the World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations regarding social isolation as a preventive measure against COVID-19 contamination, it was necessary to rethink the practices of care at the Parents‌ ‌and‌ ‌Friends‌ ‌of‌ People‌ ‌with‌ Special‌ ‌Needs‌ ‌Association (APAE) in Vitória, with telehealth as an alternative to continuing treatment. This study aims to discuss integrated practice between the Occupational Therapy and Psychology sectors through a telehealth group with twelve children aged eight to fourteen years old diagnosed with Intellectual Disability (ID) and/or Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) who attended at APAE in Vitória. There were weekly video calls from May to December 2020 and activities developed according to therapeutic objectives based on three areas: perception, interaction, and experience. The children could gain a greater perception of themselves and the other, reducing psychomotor agitation and anxiety, and improving their ability to self-control and identify with their peers. In addition, it was possible to promote a greater capacity to engage in dialogues and to take part in other colleagues’ speeches, even though they happened with greater difficulty and need for support. In conclusion, this practice enabled an increase in social involvement and autonomy and contributed to promoting strategies that guarantee the attention of people with disabilities in the period of social isolation resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, reinforcing that the person with disabilities is the protagonist of their own stories.