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A Name of the prize. Autism Professionals Awards
B Name of the person in the picture. Chris Bonnello
C Occupation of the winner. Tutor, author, speaker, he runs a website.
D Topics discussed on the website Autistic Not Weird. 
Personal and professional perspective of autism.
Deem: considerar
Struggle: lutar/esforçar-se diante 
de difi culdades
Raw: cru; que ainda não se 
desenvolveu
 4 Read the sentences below and check if they are T (true) or F (false). Then choose an excerpt 
from the text to justify the false ones. Use your notebook.
A When Chris Bonnello was a child, some people thought he was a strange boy. T
B In primary school, Chris had learning diffi culties, but no social struggles. F. 
C As a teenager, Chris realized that it was also necessary to learn how people work. T
D After learning about tutoring he launched a website to help people with autism. T
 5 In the interview, Chris Bonnello gives some pieces of advice. Read the following pairs of 
sentences. Write the correct piece of advice based on the interview in your notebook.
A 
I Parents need to focus on things children can do. X
II Parents need to focus on things children can’t do.
B 
I As the world needs different perspectives, people can think in the same direction.
II As the world needs different perspectives, people can think in distinct directions. X
C 
I The strengths of children with autism should be highlighted at school. X
II The defi ciencies of children with autism should be highlighted at school.
 6 Based on the interview, is the role of family members and teachers for the inclusion of 
people with autism important? Why (not)?
B. “I may have had social struggles, but I was deemed to have been ok because I was so intelligent.
What were your school days like? 
Thankfully I didn’t struggle at primary school. I may have had social struggles, but I was deemed
to have been ok because I was so intelligent. [...] My teenage years in secondary school were 
harder, as I was young adulthood as I came to realise that raw intelligence alone wasn’t enough to 
make a person succeed – you had to learn how people worked too.
What motivated you to set up Autistic Not Weird?
I left primary school teaching in December 2014, with no intention of going back into education. 
(Not long later, I would be introduced to the world of special needs tutoring and love every moment 
of it!) [...] So I decided to launch a website that might help other autistic people, and four years on 
with 102,000 Facebook followers... [...]
What advice would you give to anyone who is struggling with ‘feeling different’? 
[...] The world needs different brains, different perspectives, and people who can think in different 
directions. [...]
What’s your top piece of advice for parents of autistic children?
De� ne your children by their strengths rather than their de� ciencies. [...] I’m very grateful to have 
had parents who saw me for who I was rather than who I wasn’t, and teachers who saw what I 
could do rather than just what I couldn’t. [...]
CHRIS Bonnello Interview. National Autistic Society. Available at: https://www.autism.org.uk/get-involved/
membership/magazine/current-issue/chris-bonnello.aspx. Accessed on: July 15, 2020.
Possible answer: The acceptance of family members and teachers is very important for the inclusion of people 
with autism. They can emphasize what children with autism are and what they can do instead of what they are 
not and what they can’t do.
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Post-reading 
 7 Inclusion involves creating accessibility in the environment. Based on Chris Bonnello’s 
interview, think about how an “autistic friendly environment” could be provided at school. 
Write the answers in your notebook.
A Check autistic students’ needs. X
B Emphasize what the autistic student can do and encourage him/her. X
C Give students with autism easier tasks, so they can accomplish them.
D Give students with autism tasks adapted to their needs, so they can accomplish them. X
 8 Read the following questions and share your ideas with the teacher and your classmates.
A Is it important to worry about accessibility and inclusion for everyone in society? Why (not)?
B In Brazil, some laws guarantee accessibility. Do you know these laws? Do you think they 
are effective? Why (not)?
 9 Are there any actions to promote accessibility and inclusion in your school and in your 
community? Which ones?
É importante assinalar para a turma que atividades e tarefas adap-
tadas não são propriamente mais fáceis, e sim adequadas para a 
realidade de determinado estudante.
Personal answers.
Personal answers.
Personal answers.
A IMPORTÂNCIA DE SE USAREM AS PALAVRAS CERTAS
Você já pensou na importância de incluir as pessoas por meio da linguagem?
Palavras são poderosas. As pessoas se sentem valorizadas e respeitadas se usarmos as palavras 
certas quando falamos com elas. A linguagem não inclusiva pode ser extremamente prejudicial 
e contribuir para uma cultura de exclusão. As pessoas podem se sentir ofendidas por linguagem 
discriminatória. Linguagem inclusiva é um atributo essencial da sociedade moderna e diversifi cada.
Visite este site para aprender mais sobre a linguagem inclusiva: https://www.gov.uk/government/
publications/inclusive-communication/inclusive-language-words-to-use-and-avoid-when-
writing-about-disability. Acesso em: 15 jul. 2020.
Vocabulary
• Read the following expressions and match them with their defi nitions. Use your notebook.
(1) Disability 
(2) Blind people
(3) Wheelchair user
(4) Assistive technology
(5) Accessibility
(6) Deaf people
(7) Speech impaired
(8) Segregated learning
(9) Autism Spectrum Disorder
I Physical or mental condition that limits a person’s movements, 
senses, or activities. (1)
II Someone who cannot walk because of injury or illness. (3)
III Assistive, adaptive, and rehabilitative devices for people with 
disabilities. (4)
IV Developmental disorder that affects communication and behavior. 
V How easy is something to enter, use or access for people with
disabilities. (5)
VI Those who cannot see. (2)
VII Those who cannot hear. (6)
VIII Those who can’t speak. (7)
IX Related to exclusion. (8)
(9)
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