ABSTRACT:
This study aimed to identify development indicators in children and adolescents with learning difficulties, with IQ equal to or below 70 in the WISC-IV test (compatible to the delimited value for diagnosis of intellectual disability). It was based on the historical-cultural perspective of human development proposed by Vygostsky, especially in relation to the distinction between real and potential development. This research reports two case studies with a child and a teenager. Data was collected from audio recordings of semi-structured interviews with parents/responsible person and the professionals of the schools they were enrolled, as well as video recordings of the service sessions in an informal educational project the child and teenager regularly attended. Data analysis involved transcriptions of the interview and construction of tables with the child/teenager's social participation modes and superior mental processes, analysis of the service sessions recordings with transcriptions and micro genetic analysis of significant episodes. Data suggest that, when emphasizing the search for development indicators, it is possible to have a wide view of each case in a way to contemplate, beyond limitations, children and teenagers' potentialities.
KEYWORD:
Special Education; Intellectual Disability; Social-Historical-Cultural Theory; Human Development