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Mackenzie Scheu
Dr. Guenzel
March 28, 2017
ENC1102
Rhetorical Analysis (Final Draft)

Rhetorical Analysis: "Social Skills Deficits In Autism: A Study Among Students

With Austim Spectrum Disorder In Inclusive Classrooms"
The issue of inclusion is a pressing issue today, especially within the

public-school system. Several attempts and steps have been taken towards

total inclusion, such as clubs that promote interaction between normal

students and students with special needs. Since the No Child Left Behind act,

it is illegal to keep children from being able to learn in the least restrictive

learning environment. My goal is to show my audience how beneficial

inclusion is to children with special needs, focusing on children with autism

and autism spectrum disorder. I am focusing on children with autism,

because I have a personal connection within my family with Autism

Spectrum Disorder and it also effects one in sixty-eight children, and this rate

has been increasing. This disorder is obviously commonly diagnosed, but it is

also commonly misdiagnosed, leading children to be misplaced in restrictive

classroom environments. With inclusion present, misplacement will not

happen as often, and because of the No Child Left Behind act, neither will

breaking the law.

I chose to include this study as a source in my research dossier, and in

my research process in general, because it supports my claim that inclusion

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helps children with special needs, such as Autism, develop both socially and

academically. The authors state that Their [children with autism] social skills

deficits are characterized by poor eye contact, lack of joint attention,

pedantic or odd speech patterns, difficulty both initiating and maintaining

conversations, lack of social problem-solving ability, lack of empathy, and

difficulties interpreting body language (1). Furthermore, the authors state

that it is important that these deficits are clearly defined to the audience in

the beginning of the report, because not all audience members understand

autism or autism spectrum disorder and what it entails (1). The defining of

these deficits is also important to the paper, because it sets a specific set of

standards for the children that were studied in this case study. Following

through with these standards contributes to the accuracy of the study, and

therefore the author(s) credibility. This is very important in drawing

conclusions for this study, because if these standards are not followed the

results could be invalid, taking away from the authors credibility, and

ultimately the ethos of the entire study. These terms can also be used to

define what traits a child that is diagnosed with a typical or mild case of

autism possesses in the authors own culture, which could be why the

authors chose to include this information in the introduction.

The three perspectives I am focusing on are teachers, those who

support inclusion, and those who oppose inclusion. This source will help

support the perspectives of teachers and those who support the practice. It

will support the teachers perspective, because the behaviors being studied

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are taking place within a classroom and the behaviors are being analyzed to

determine the major differences between kids with and without autism.

These differences can be used to then help the teachers accommodate their

students in an inclusive classroom. It can also be used to support the

perspective of those who are for inclusion, because it is determining the

differences and using them to better inclusion. It is also destroying myths of

children with disabilities being deemed stupid or incompetent, when really

their biggest difference is how they handle social situations. The authors

argue this claim and prove it through their research and case study.

The structure and framing of the entire report is set up as a traditional

lab report. This structure allows for the audience to digest all the information

easier, helping them better understand what was being studied and the

conclusions that came from the study. The introduction was an overview of

the entire report and included the conditions being studied, and then the

broken-down sections were more specific and labeled by content. The

introduction also states the credentials of the authors, displaying ethos and

supporting the authors credibility. The intended audience is for those who

are researching in this field and for professionals seeking to gain more

knowledge on the subject. The audience can positively and effectively

respond to the information, due to the ease of digesting the material from

the way the information is broken down. Due to the nature of the paper there

were no non-rational appeals such as sarcasm or humor.

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Graphs and charts are also included throughout the report.

Traditionally the inclusion of statistical and/or scientific data is viewed as an

example of logos. These graphs and charts were included to display the

accuracy and validity of the results gathered from the study. The presence of

these graphs has pushed me to include this source in my paper, so that I can

include one of these graphs in my paper. Using a graph would increase my

own credibility, because I would not be basing my paper off of pathos alone. I

could potentially include the graphs and charts in my research paper to

support what I write about the conclusions of this study and explain what

they mean during my TED talk. The authors also include references, to

support their own credibility, adding ethos to their report. One graph (Figure

1, 4) displays the deficits of a child with autism. It includes affective abilities,

cognitive abilities, and behavioral abilities (4). The levels at which each

ability is effected is consistent based on simply viewing the graph. For

purposes of my research I will combine affective abilities and behavioral

abilities and include them in the social skills development aspect of the

paper.

I plan to present pro-inclusion information in both my paper, and in my

TED talk. This specific source will support the perspective of those who are

pro-inclusion and openly support the concept. It will also support the

teachers perspective, because teachers could also verify how inclusion

benefits children with disabilities social skills and academic advancement

within the classroom. My argument for this paper is that inclusion will benefit

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children with autism and autism spectrum disorder and help them develop

both academically and socially. Because the report shows positive results

regarding children with autism and inclusion, it could also be used to refute

someone who opposes the concept. It will most likely prove to be more

successful using a scientific study, rather than refuting an opposing source

using an opinion or even an anecdote. Because my claim is in support of

inclusion, I do not plan to include sources that promote the opposing side,

however I do plan to acknowledge why some people might not approve of

the idea. Since I am primarily interested in the American education system

and how it handles inclusion, I hope to find a similar, American study that I

can compare this study with. I have noticed that many, if not all, of the

studies I have found are from different countries. This makes me wonder if

other countries are more developed in terms of inclusion and how they have

accomplished so much.

The study scientifically supports my claim, so I will use it in my paper

to show my audience the validity and relevance of my argument. I will also

use the source to prove that inclusion does have benefits, and those benefits

are that inclusion helps promote development of children with autism. The

authors defined the characteristics of autism in the introduction of their

report, showing that they studied children who fit the criteria that they

created. There are more severe and less severe cases of autism, and readers

need to keep those exceptions in mind as they read this report, as well as

when they read my paper or listen to my talk.

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In my personal experiences with autism, I have noticed that the

benefits I have observed that are related to inclusion go hand in hand with

the conclusions of this study. Since being mainstreamed into an inclusive

classroom, my twin cousins who were diagnosed with autism when they were

two and who were once completely nonverbal, are now developing social

skills, beginning to speak, and exceling in their academic classes. I plan to

include my cousins stories in my paper, as well as incorporating their stories

into this study and the results it shows. As an elementary education major

and aspiring special education teacher, this research is very important to me

and I hope that when I present my information to the class the importance of

my topic reaches my audience and touches them as much as this subject has

touched me. This source will help me promote inclusion with scientific data

and show my audience some of the differences between a child who is

effected by autism or autism spectrum disorder, and a child who is not.

Source: Yeo, Kee Jiar, and Kie Yin Teng. "Social Skills Deficits In Autism: A
Study Among Students With Austim Spectrum Disorder In Inclusive
Classrooms." Universal Journal Of Educational Research 3.12 (2015): 1001-
1007. ERIC. Web. 21 Feb. 2017.
http://www.hrpub.org/download/20151130/UJER8-19504834.pdf