Communicative profile of children who entered in primary school after the age of five -

Abstract

Objective: To characterize the communicative behaviors of children who entered in Primary School after the age of five. Methods: It was a descriptive study, held in a city at the countryside of Parana state (Brazil), in the years 2007 and 2008, in both school and home environments. Twelve children of both genders joined in the study, with age ranging from five years and two months to six years, besides their mothers and respective teachers. Interviews were conducted with mothers and a questionnaire for teachers. Afterwards, observations of the communication of children in school and home environments were conducted. Data analysis focused on those relevant to children’s development and school performance, trying to determine their communicative profile in school and home environments, from protocols regarding the indicators of communication means and functions. Results: The results indicated the presence of a child with poor general health, with complications from the pregnancy period, with motor and language delays and low school performance. It was also observed that all children used verbal means to communicate and the highest frequency of communicative functions appeared in home environment, indicating an important aspect to be considered in the stimulation of communication of these children. Conclusion: Data from this study showed that the children benefited more of contexts planned with family interlocutors.