Desafios e dilemas da atenção ao autismo na rede pública de saúde: um estudo de caso sobre estratégias especializadas de cuidado no Estado do Rio de Janeiro

Abstract

This dissertation investigates the growing demand for specialized care strategies for autism in Brazil. As theoretical support, it presents a brief historical contextualization of the autism framework, reaching the most current conceptions of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and emphasizing care practices directed toward this population. In the Brazilian context, it analyzes the trajectory of autism in connection with public mental health policies, highlighting their transformations and conceptual disputes. The study examines a specific case in the state of Rio de Janeiro: the creation of the Superintendência de Cuidados das Pessoas com Transtorno do Espectro Autista (Superintendency for the Care of People with Autism Spectrum Disorder). This qualitative investigation is based on a literature review and on the analysis of content published on the internet and social media. The results show the growing presence of autism in the political arena, demonstrating its increasing social and institutional relevance. Moreover, they reveal a movement distancing autism from the field of mental health and indicate new challenges for care policies and practices.