A MEDICALIZAÇÃO DA EDUCAÇÃO E AS QUEIXAS ESCOLARES NOS ANOS INICIAIS DO ENSINO FUNDAMENTAL

This article presents the results of an undergraduate research project that investigated the medicalization of children with school-related complaints in the early years of Elementary Education (EE) in a municipality in southeastern Goiás, Brazil, from the perspective of Historical-Cultural Theory. The objective was to understand this phenomenon by mapping medication use and analyzing the relationship between school-related complaints and medicalization. This is a qualitative study theoretically and methodologically grounded in Historical-Cultural Theory and approved by the Research Ethics Committee (CAAE: 67844017.5.0000.5083). A documentary analysis was conducted of Behavioral Protocols, Individualized Educational Plans, and medical reports of twelve children enrolled from the 1st to the 3rd year of EE. The results indicated a predominance of boys (83%) and diagnoses of Neurodevelopmental Disorders, particularly Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) (66%). The mapping of psychotropic medications revealed the use of antipsychotics, such as Risperidone and Aripiprazole; stimulants, such as Methylphenidate; and antidepressants, such as Escitalopram and Sertraline, as well as polypharmacy and the use, in pediatric settings, of substances originally intended for adults. There was also a predominance of diagnoses issued unilaterally by physicians, reinforcing a biomedical perspective that disregards the social, political, and economic factors involved in schooling. It is concluded that school-related complaints are converted into individual and biological problems, overshadowing children's potentialities and reinforcing the need to broaden the debate on educational and healthcare practices that recognize children's wholeness and promote school inclusion.