Reading Comprehension (Level 3 Supp. Mat. Task 15: Autism)

In what ways are people with disabilities just like everyone else?

Have you ever known a person who had a disability? If so, can you write a bit about them?

What do you know about autism?

Read the excerpt from the text. What can you infer from the information? More than one answer may be possible.

"Let's go to the market," Shawn's mom says. Shawn hurries to the door and stands waiting.

• Shawn understands his mother's words

• Shawn obeys his mother.

• Shawn is in a good mood today

Read the excerpt from the text. What can you infer from the information? More than one answer may be possible.

"Let's pretend we're cats," Shawn's three-year-old cousin suggests.

• Shawn's three-year-old cousin can talk.

• Shawn's three-year-old cousin can pretend.

• Shawn's three-year-old cousin has a cat.

Autism is a little-understood brain disorder. It is marked by poor social and communication skills and by repetitive behaviour. Meet two-year-old Shawn, who was just diagnosed with autism. Shawn sits spinning the wheels of a toy car –spinning, spinning, spinning. Shawn's parents have learned that spinning is not a typical phase of childhood. It is a common repetitive behaviour of autistic children.

True or false: Shawn's parents at first thought that spinning was a typical phase of childhood.

• TRUE

• FALSE

Choose the synonym of the word in parentheses to fill in the gap below.

As the children _______________ (grow up) they will remember this relaxation technique and use it to constrain their own behaviour without being reminded.

• relax

• mature

• task

• participate

• interact

Choose the synonym of the word in parentheses to fill in the gap below.

Telling a child to _______________ (become less tense) by taking a deep breath is one technique parents learn.

• relax

• mature

• task

• participate

• interact

Choose the synonym of the word in parentheses to fill in the gap below.

r. Individual children are assigned a daily _______________ (5. small job) such as feeding the class pet, to help teach responsibility.

• relax

• mature

• task

• participate

• interact

"Let's go to the market," Shawn's mom says. Shawn, now four, hurries to the door and stands waiting. The market is noisy with recorded music and the clatter of shopping carts. Shawn covers his ears and is soon screaming. His mom infers that the noise hurts his ears. Extreme sensitivity to loud or harsh sounds is common in autism. So is sensitivity to bright lights and various textures.

True or false: Shawn's mother inferred that he liked the loud music in the market.

• TRUE

• FALSE