SOBRECARGA NO CUIDADO DE CRIANÇAS COM TRANSTORNO DO ESPECTRO AUTISTA: UMA REVISÃO INTEGRATIVA DE LITERATURA

ABSTRACT Autism Spectrum Disorder is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by some degree of impairment in social behavior, communication and language, by restricted interest and activities that can be performed repetitively and by behaviors that are identified as inappropriate. In addition to day-to-day care, those responsible give up most of their time to attend to the needs of the child with ASD. This intense routine can interfere with family members’ quality of life. The aim of this study was to identify, from the scientific literature, the stressors and the relationship with the overload of caregivers of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. This is an integrative bibliographic review of the last eight years, based on scientific articles on the aforementioned subject. The search resulted in eight articles meeting the inclusion criteria. The results revealed that caregivers’ overload is related to various factors, which can affect their quality of life and that of the children. The need to establish a psychological support network for coping and family guidance is essential. Keywords: autism, overload, caregivers, stressors.