This article sought to understand the inclusion of pupils with Autism Spectrum Disorder
(ASD) in two state schools in the extreme south of the Brazilian state of Santa Catarina, based on
interviews with education professionals. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with fourteen
education professionals working with students diagnosed with ASD, at the two schools studied. The
research was qualitative in nature, enabling us to consider how inclusion is understood, and some
of the difficulties encountered, as well as understanding how the person with ASD is viewed and
produced in the schools. Through this study, it was observed that pathologization is common practice in the schools studied. Among the professionals interviewed, it was seen that there was a lack
of conceptual understanding in relation to autism and inclusion. It was also found that the teachers
had difficulties in understanding and including students diagnosed with ASD. Social integration of
the students tended to be promoted, rather than real inclusion, as these students are produced when
supported by diagnoses.