This research aims at comprehending children behaviour living in shelter, taking into account
the importance of the environment/place, the affective relations and the negative effects of
maternal deprivation in the first years for the child development. In order to develop the
study, two children were observed (23 and 31 months old), receiving the fictional names João
and Maria, once their history of life has allowed a comparison to the “Hansel and Gretel” tale
(“João and Maria” in Portuguese), by the Grimm Brothers. Observations were conducted in a
shelter owned by the State of Pará, which receives children from zero to six years old, in the
city of Belém. They were performed twice a week, lasting one hour each, during 5 months. It
was considered the Bick Method for Observing Babies, based on three distinct moments:
observation, annotation and group supervision. Results were organised in three categories: 1)
the care environment for João and Maria, 2) João and Maria revealed by their ludic plays and
games, and 3) meetings with the observer-narrator, whose actions were based in the
perspective of the Winnicottian concept. In the first category, fragments of the history of life
from João and Maria were presented, as well as aspects referred to the cares they have
received in this context, which were permeated by the lack of affection and absence in the
prioritisation of real demands according to the time and rhythm of the children, related mainly
to the institutional dynamic. In the second category, children plays were investigated in
association with body contact, involvement with other children and the observer – in the last
case, interaction was more often during the meals. In the third and last category, feelings,
difficulties and learning from the observer were discussed, as well as the narrator particular
relation to the history of life of the two children and the particularities of the place. Therefore,
it was realised that João and Maria were looking for a care relation based on body and
affection contact; they have showed themselves as available in the contact one with the other,
allowing the creation of affective links, which are positive and healthy aspects for children
development. Finally, there is no doubt that applying the Winnicottian concept and the use of
the Bick Method have contributed for a better understanding of the João and Maria
experience, collaborating significantly for the apprehension of the reality of such children and
their context of development.
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