Mackenzie Scheu

Dr. Guenzel
Rhetorical Analysis (Workshop Draft)

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

Inclusion is a current and pressing issue in todays school systems, especially

in public school systems. There have been more attempts at inclusion, such
as clubs that promote interaction between normal students and students
with special needs. The goal of my research is to show my audience how
beneficial inclusion is.
I chose to analyze this source, because it provides statistical evidence that
supported my claim that inclusion helps children with special needs develop,
both socially and academically. The author(s) state that Their 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 (Introduction). It is important that
these deficits are defined to the audience, because not all audience
members understand autism/autism spectrum disorder and what
characteristics are possessed by someone who is diagnosed. The defining of
these deficits is important to the paper, because it sets a standard 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. These terms can also be used to define what traits a
typical autistic child possesses in the authors own culture, which could be
why the authors chose to include this information in the introduction.
In this case, we can compare their definition to our own personal definition,
and decide whether we agree. Agreeing with the definition will allow you, as
the audience, to accommodate the source. Because autism is a psychological
and medical condition, it is not easy to argue the definition; however, one
can argue that we should not generalize and stereotype individuals with
disabilities. I agree that we should not generalize or stereotype individuals;
this may have played a role in the authors decision to not include
personality in the definition, and said only that these traits characterize their
social skills, rather than implying that all people with autism also have the
same personality.
The structure of the entire report is set up as a lab report. This structure
allows for the audience to digest all the information easier. The intended
audience of this report is for those who are researching and for professionals
in the field seeking to gain more knowledge. Many researchers and
professionals are already familiar with this format, so it is effective. Because
of the familiarity of the formatting for an experiment/case study report, it can
also be considered a cultural code. The audience can positively respond to it,
due to the ease of digesting the material from the way the information is
broken down.
Graphs and charts are also included in the report. Traditionally the inclusion
of statistical data is viewed as logos. These graphs and charts were included
to display the accuracy and validity of the results gathered from the study,
but were very confusing to understand, especially at first glance. The authors
also include references, to support their own credibility, adding ethos to their
source.
It is important for the readers to take the results of the experiment into
account when they are considering the benefits of inclusion for children with
autism. The author begins the conclusion with this statement: In short,
children with ASD who are included will benefit in different ways and to
different degrees on the three areas of social skills deficits namely
behavioral, affective and cognitive in IE classrooms. I am glad that this
statement was very clear, and that it was included in the report, because the
actual statistical data that I would have thought to be helpful was very
confusing. Because the study scientifically supports my claim, I will use it in
my paper to show my audience the validity of my argument. It is also
important for the readers to understand the boundaries of this experiment.
The authors defined the characteristics of autism in the introduction of their
report, showing that they studied children who fit the criteria. There are more
severe and less severe cases of autism, and readers need to keep those
exceptions in mind as they read this report.