Eleventh International Conference on Tourism & Leisure Studies

Abstract

Dealing with neurodivergent children represents a challenge for schools and university training programs, as it requires teachers to possess both knowledge and openness to the realities of children with autism or giftedness, who are more sensitive to the influences and ways of life of contemporary societies. Based on this concern, in 2025, the Physical Education program at the Federal University of Paraná, Brazil, through the course Fundamentals of Leisure, offered practical experiences with a teacher specialized in working with this group. The goal was to support teacher education by bringing neurodivergent children from a local NGO in Curitiba into the university setting. The children participated in recreational activities organized by the course. In total, seven children attended the one-day event. The activities included games, play, capoeira, slackline, toy construction, and a demonstration of a robot toy for the children. The event resulted in significant learning, especially for the university students, who had the opportunity to receive guidance from the NGO teacher on how to interact with the children. For example, speaking firmly with students who have a diagnosis of giftedness; having all university students wear vests of the same color to make it easier for the children to identify their instructors; being objective when explaining the activities. The visiting children, in turn, were able to experience a range of activities involving balance, imbalance, rhythm, imagination, and toy making, all grounded in the principle of playfulness as the essence of leisure.