Argumentative Essay: Mainstreaming Classrooms for Students with Autism
Basic task: To compose a research-based argument.
Purpose: To develop argumentation, research, critical thinking, writing, and persuasive skills and create a polished research-based academic argument.
Essay Assignment #3—the final essay assignment of the course—is an extended research project of at least 1600 words in which you will argue a position concerning an issue that relates to your chosen profession (or, if you do not have a “chosen profession,” a career, field, or profession that interests you). Your research should come from credible sources. In your final essay, you will reference at least four outside sources to support your points.
You will begin by identifying specific career-related controversies in the field, and then you will choose one controversy to focus on for your annotated bibliography and essay; then, you will research the controversy, develop an annotated bibliography, refine your topic, generate ideas, and develop a working thesis.
Then, you will begin to draft the essay and revise your thesis as needed. Your final essay should be detailed in terms of content, evidence, sources, and support. The topic should be tight and focused, and your position should be responsibly, persuasively, and credibly argued. As with any strong argument essay, you should:
Begin with a focused introduction
Support your argument with a series of focused body paragraphs
Conclude with a focused conclusion in which you sum up your main points and emphasize the significance of your argument
Reference outside sources smoothly and effectively to illustrate points and to support claims
Demonstrate awareness of your rhetorical situation
Address and respond to counterarguments
Format the essay MLA style
Maintain an effective balance of ethos, pathos, and logos
Convey your points through professional academic writing
Maintain crisp, clear prose
Ensure that your finished essay is free of errors
Sources:
Baron-Cohen, Simon. “Autism and the empathizing-systemizing (ES) theory.” Developmental social cognitive neuroscience (2009): 125-138.
Leach, Debra, and Mary Lou Duffy. “Supporting students with autism spectrum disorders in inclusive settings.” Intervention in School and Clinic 45.1 (2009): 31-37, https://galileo.org/pl/wp-content/uploads/initiativeSupportingStudentsWithAutismSpectrumDisorderinInclusiveSettings-2.pdf
Shattuck, Paul T., et al. “PostsecondaryPostsecondary education and employment among youth with an autism spectrum disorder.” Pediatrics 129.6 (2012): 1042-1049, https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/pediatrics/129/6/1042.full.pdf
Shkedy, Gary, Aileen Herlinda Sandoval-Norton, and Dalia Shkedy. “The trauma of broad-based inclusion for students with autism.” Humanities and Social Science Research 3.2 (2020): p1-p1, https://j.ideasspread.org/index.php/hssr/article/download/540/494
Research, Organization For Autism. “The Importance of Peers in Inclusive Education for Individuals with ASD.” Organization for Autism Research, 3 Jan. 2020, https://researchautism.org/the-importance-of-peers-in-inclusive-education-for-individuals-with-asd/#:~:text=For%20those%20with%20ASD%2C%20proposed,standing%20of%20students%20with%20ASD.
Bailey, Eileen. “Pros and Cons of Mainstream Classrooms for Kids with Autism.” Health Central, 13 June 2020, www.healthcentral.com/article/the-pros-and-cons-of-mainstream-classrooms-for-children-with-autism.
