The world during social distancing: though schools are on hold, educational needs are not

Abstract

The present study addresses the relationship between education (teaching) and care (health) with regard to the target audience of special education, aiming to question the distancing from school and the school demands to the cognitive, affective and psychological development for this specific population in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic. The pandemic has imposed the worldwide closure of schools as one of the main measures to control the spread of the new coronavirus, Sars-CoV-2, since the only known prevention for its morbidity and mortality is the epidemiological management of public health. The area of special education could not be set aside by an acute planning of educational and psychosocial intervention, in view of risking prolonged or permanent damage to its development, cognitive and affective processes and social insertion, aside from the risks to self-formation, and individual and family mental well-being. The methodology consisted of obtaining data within a specific context and the elaboration of written results. Thus, the present study documents narrative excerpts, presented as sketches, of a qualitative research in its initial stages, aiming at contributing to the awareness of and practices for inclusive processes in special education and in health.