Significates that Underlie the Concept of “Person with Autism” Analysis from an Approach Using Natural Semantic Networks in Health Students
摘要
If education is an inalienable right of children and adolescents with disabilities, obtaining a job is key to inclusion in adult life. The objective of this study was to analyze the psychological meanings that students from three health faculties in their final year have about the constructs “Adult”, “Adult Patient” and “Adult Patient with Autism Spectrum Disorder” in the city of Temuco, Chile. This was a cross-sectional, descriptive study, using qualitative methodology with the technique of natural semantic networks in group application. The results show that the word “adult” was defined by men in terms of Responsibility, Work and Maturity; while women defined it in terms of Maturity, Responsibility and Family. Both men and women associated the construct “Adult Patient” with concepts such as Diagnosis, Pathology and Pharmacology in different hierarchies, for women “Diagnosis” is the main one, while for men it is “Pathology”. Finally, the concept of “Adult Patient with Autism Spectrum Disorder” was defined by both sexes with concepts such as “Dependent”, “Dysregulation” and “Communication”; “Dependent” being the category with the greatest semantic weight for both sexes, while “Therapeutic Adaptation” and “Patient-Centered Approach” occupy the last positions in terms of their semantic weight.