Selma Sueli Silva (born Septemper 17, 1963) is a Brazilian author, internet celebrity and radio personality. She and is a host from YouTube channel Mundo Autista with her daughter Sophia Mendonça since 2015; they are remembered as the longest-serving autistic brazilian vloggers on YouTube.
Silva was born in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil. She worked in the Construction Industry|construction industry before earning a degree in journalism and public relations with an emphasis in Communication and Business Management.[1] After serving as a Senior Communications Advisor at the Instituto Nacional do Seguro Social, she migrated to radio.[2]
Thus, she initially gained prominence as an panelist and producer of the Rádio Vivo, one of the most traditional Talk show|talk shows in Brazilian radio, where she remained between 1999 and 2015. [3] Upon leaving the station, she began to host the YouTube Channel Mundo Autista.[4] In 2017, Galileo (magazine)|Galileo magazine ranked the channel at position No. 8 among YouTube channels that address the lives of people with Disability|disabilities.[5] In 2022, the website Canaltech ranked the channel as one of the top five on YouTube focusing on awareness of the Autistic Spectrum and highlighted it as the only one on the list aimed at autism in adults.[6]
In 2019, Silva received the Special Tribute from the European Union program Erasmus+ and a congratulations motion from Divinópolis, in addition to winning the business communication contest promoted by the Diários Associados conglomerate.[7] In 2022, brazilian newspaper Catraca Livre listed her as one of the six autistic celebrities who challenge prejudice. [8]
Born and raised in an underprivileged community, Silva claims to have memories of feeling different from the age of three.[9] At the same time, her parents divorced and she began to feel increasingly inadequate in her family and at school after returning to live in her grandmother's house, having received many labels for her peculiar behaviors.[10]
At age 52, after hearing a question from her daughter, author Sophia Mendonça, diagnosed with Autism spectrum|autism at age 11, Silva decided to listen to her advice and sought out a psychiatrist, who identified her with the same condition. This led her to produce books and content about autism in adults and women.[11]
Since 2005, Silva has been a member of Soka Gakkai International, a Buddhism|Buddhist organization affiliated with the United Nations.[12]