THE ROLE OF THE SCHOOL ADMINISTRATOR IN COORDINATING FAMILY, SCHOOL, AND HEALTH SERVICES IN SERVING STUDENTS WITH ASD

Abstract

Contemporary inclusive education faces the complex challenge of ensuring not only access, but also qualified retention and effective learning for students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). In this context, this article investigates the strategic and central role of the school administrator in the indispensable articulation between family, school, and health services. The research is justified by the identification of a latent problem in the educational reality: the fragmentation of care and teaching actions, where schools, therapists, and families frequently act in isolation, generating gaps in care and discontinuity in student development. The central objective of this work was to analyze, from the perspective of specialized literature, how school management can act as a mediator in this triad relationship, harmonizing family expectations and clinical guidelines with pedagogical practices. To this end, a qualitative and exploratory literature review methodology was adopted. The data collection covered the period from 1996 to 2024, resulting in the careful selection and thematic analysis of ten scientific articles and six books in Portuguese, retrieved from databases such as Google Scholar and SciELO. The main results show that school administrators need to transcend bureaucratic functions, assuming a political and pedagogical leadership focused on democratic management. It was identified that the effectiveness of this articulation depends on the collaborative implementation of the Individualized Education Plan (IEP), the correct administration of resources for Specialized Educational Services (SES), and the promotion of ongoing in-service training for teachers. Furthermore, the literature showed that humanized reception and active listening to families are determining factors for the success of inclusion. It is concluded that the administrator is the fundamental link for the effective implementation of intersectorality. This study contributes by highlighting that, without management that acts as a "translator" between health demands and school realities, inclusion tends to be incipient. The final considerations reinforce the need for public policies and training that empower managers to lead support networks, avoiding the medicalization of education and ensuring the full right to quality education for students with ASD.