THE ROLE OF SPECIALIZED EDUCATIONAL SERVICES (AEE) – CHALLENGES AND PERSPECTIVES FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF AEE AS A COMPLEMENTARY AND SUPPLEMENTAL PEDAGOGICAL PRACTICE TO SCHOOLING, IN LIGHT OF THE NEW FEDERAL DECREE

Abstract

Specialized Educational Support (Atendimento Educacional Especializado – AEE) constitutes one of the main instruments of inclusive education policy in Brazil, as it is configured as a pedagogical practice that is complementary and supplementary to schooling for students who are the target audience of special education, without replacing mainstream education. In the contemporary context, marked by conceptual disputes, institutional fragilities, and territorial inequalities, the enactment of the new federal decree (No. 12,686/2025), which redefines the National Policy on Special Education, places AEE once again at the center of educational debate, challenging its pedagogical meanings, its organization within education systems, and its articulation with the curriculum of regular schools. The aim of this article is to analyze the role of Specialized Educational Support as a complementary and supplementary pedagogical practice, in light of the new federal decree, considering its impacts on the organization of teaching work, the conception of inclusive education, and the realization of the right to education for students with disabilities, autism spectrum disorders, and high abilities/giftedness. The study is guided by the following question: to what extent does the new federal decree (No. 12,686/2025) contribute to strengthening AEE as a complementary and supplementary pedagogical practice to schooling, and what challenges and perspectives arise for its effective implementation within Brazilian education systems? The theoretical framework draws on the contributions of Ball (1994; 2005; 2007; 2008), Freire (1992; 2014), Armstrong (1998; 2001; 2012), Booth and Ainscow (1998), Florian (2007; 2008), Florian and Hegarty (2004), Florian and McLaughlin (2008), Black-Hawkins, Florian and Rouse (2007), Mantoan (2003), Werneck (1997), Barnes and Mercer (2006), Mitchell (2007), Mitchell and Snyder (2000; 2014), Linton (2020), Snyder and Mitchell (2006), Milton and Ryan (2022), Machin (2018), Holland (2012), Lamott (2011), Moore (2012), Fields-Meyer (2011), among others, as well as, centrally, the regulatory framework of the National Policy on Inclusive Special Education (PNEEI). Methodologically, the study adopts a qualitative approach (Minayo, 2007), descriptive and bibliographic in nature (Gil, 2008), with a comprehensive analytical perspective (Weber, 1949). The findings indicate that Decree No. 12,686/2025 strengthens AEE by reaffirming it as a complementary and supplementary pedagogical practice, articulated with the common curriculum and the school’s political-pedagogical project. However, its implementation remains conditioned by territorial inequalities, institutional fragilities, and funding constraints. Persistent tensions between inclusive discourse and bureaucratized practices continue to weaken the pedagogical dimension of AEE. The research highlights training gaps that favor compensatory interpretations of specialized support and points out that the transformative potential of AEE depends on collaborative work, continuous teacher education, and systemic integration with educational policies.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.56238/edimpacto2025.090-087