Rhetorical Devices and Speech Analysis Goals: to analyze the effectiveness of a speech based on the Rhetorical devices used by a speaker create a sentence outline analyzing 3 Rhetorical devices write a 5 paragraph essay analyzing the Rhetorical devices Analyzing a Speech A speech can be made more effective if the speaker considers using several literary devices. To help you understand how to write an Analytical Essay about a speech, this presentation will consider a speech given by Nelson Mandela in London as part of the campaign to end poverty in the developing world. 2 Rhetorical Devices Audience Purpose Repetition Imagery Ethos Logos Pathos Rhetorical Device - Audience Who you are writing for Helps you make decisions about what information to use, your tone and your language Example 1: Mandela addresses a global audience. He makes a call to action to the world leaders to focus on poverty at their July meeting in Scotland. “I say to all those leaders: do not look the other way; do not hesitate.” Example 2: Mandela calls people of the world to take action against poverty because it would “be a crime against humanity, against which I ask all humanity now to rise up.” Rhetorical Device - Purpose Why the author wrote Goal is to Persuade, Inform and Explain Example 1: Mandela states that he was invited to speak by The Campaign to Make Poverty History and that it represents “such a noble cause.” Example 2: Mandela’s purpose is to persuade the audience to take action to end poverty. He states that “as long as poverty, injustice and gross inequality persist in our world, none of us can truly rest.” Rhetorical Device - Repetition Repeat a few words or phrases a few times Make an idea clearer Emphasize significance of the phrase Example: At the end of his speech, Mandela repeats two sentences that are very similar to reinforce his point about ending poverty. He says, “Make poverty History in 2005. Make History in 2005.” The repeated pattern of these similar sentences reminds the listener the main point of his speech and reinforces his persuasive message about ending poverty. Rhetorical Device - Imagery Author’s use of words and phrases to create “mental images” for the reader Helps the reader to visualize more realistically the author’s writings Uses figures of speech like simile, metaphor, personification, onomatopoeia Example: Mandela compares poverty to prison. “Millions of people in the world’s poorest countries remain imprisoned, enslaved, in chains. They are trapped in the prison of poverty.” These sentences help the listener visualize the harshness of poverty. Rhetorical Device - Ethos Credibility/trustworthiness Example: Mandela establishes credibility with the audience by referring to a shared past experience. He reminds the audience how a similar crowd “stood in solidarity with us, just a few yards from this spot” during the movement against apartheid. Rhetorical Device - L.

1. Rhetorical Devices
and Speech Analysis
Goals:
to analyze the effectiveness of a speech based on the Rhetorical
devices used by a speaker
create a sentence outline analyzing 3 Rhetorical devices
write a 5 paragraph essay analyzing the Rhetorical devices
Analyzing a Speech
A speech can be made more effective if the speaker considers
using several literary devices.
To help you understand how to write an Analytical Essay about
a speech, this presentation will consider a speech given by
Nelson Mandela in London as part of the campaign to end
poverty in the developing world.
2

2. Rhetorical Devices
Audience
Purpose
Repetition
Imagery
Ethos
Logos
Pathos
Rhetorical Device - Audience
Who you are writing for
Helps you make decisions about what information to use, your
tone and your language
Example 1: Mandela addresses a global audience. He makes a
call to action to the world leaders to focus on poverty at their
July meeting in Scotland. “I say to all those leaders: do not look
the other way; do not hesitate.”
Example 2: Mandela calls people of the world to take action
against poverty because it would “be a crime against humanity,
against which I ask all humanity now to rise up.”
Rhetorical Device - Purpose
Why the author wrote

3. Goal is to Persuade, Inform and Explain
Example 1: Mandela states that he was invited to speak by The
Campaign to Make Poverty History and that it represents “such
a noble cause.”
Example 2: Mandela’s purpose is to persuade the audience to
take action to end poverty. He states that “as long as poverty,
injustice and gross inequality persist in our world, none of us
can truly rest.”
Rhetorical Device - Repetition
Repeat a few words or phrases a few times
Make an idea clearer
Emphasize significance of the phrase
Example: At the end of his speech, Mandela repeats two
sentences that are very similar to reinforce his point about
ending poverty. He says, “Make poverty History in 2005. Make
History in 2005.” The repeated pattern of these similar
sentences reminds the listener the main point of his speech and
reinforces his persuasive message about ending poverty.
Rhetorical Device - Imagery
Author’s use of words and phrases to create “mental images” for
the reader
Helps the reader to visualize more realistically the author’s

4. writings
Uses figures of speech like simile, metaphor, personification,
onomatopoeia
Example: Mandela compares poverty to prison. “Millions of
people in the world’s poorest countries remain imprisoned,
enslaved, in chains. They are trapped in the prison of poverty.”
These sentences help the listener visualize the harshness of
poverty.
Rhetorical Device - Ethos
Credibility/trustworthiness
Example: Mandela establishes credibility with the audience by
referring to a shared past experience. He reminds the audience
how a similar crowd “stood in solidarity with us, just a few
yards from this spot” during the movement against apartheid.
Rhetorical Device - Logos
Logic/reasoning
Example: Mandela suggests several steps for developing nations
to take to help end poverty. “The first is ensuring trade
justice.” He continues to list two other steps that will be needed
for ending poverty.

5. Rhetorical Device - Pathos
Emotional appeal
Example: Mandela ends his speech with an appeal to the
audience’s sense of pride in taking a stand against poverty. He
states, “Then we can all stand with our heads held high.”
Complete the Rhetorical Devices ChartDeviceMandela
SpeechSpeech by Audience
global audience
“I say to all those leaders: do not look the other way; do not
hesitate.”
Now you are ready to view/read the speech by Mandela.
In the assignment directions, you will find a file called the
Rhetorical Devices Chart
As you watch/read, fill in the Mandela Speech column with
examples for each rhetorical device. Include at least one quote
for your examples.

6. Below is an example of the chart with the first device
“audience” completed.
The far right column called “Speech by” will be used in a future
assignment.
Sophia Lambert
ENGH 302
May 9, 2018
Killiany
Research Proposal
Watchmen was a series of comic issues written by Alan Moore,
illustrated by Dave Gibbons, and colored by John Higgins,
published from September 1986 to October 1987 by DC Comics.
Before the creation of Watchmen, few publications had
approached the criticism of comics as an art form like any other
art. Simply by noting the dates during which scholarly
publications focused on comic studies existed in Dr.
Kannenberg’s Academic Resources page in his website, Comics
Research, it can be easily extrapolated that comic studies as a
discipline was minorly present at the time of Watchmen’s
publication, and the discipline truly began growing in the
1990s, and since the turn of the century has had consistent
publication of scholarly writing. Watchmen and its legacy have
featured as the main focus or at least a point of discussion in a
considerable number of texts on the themes and elements
apparent in the writing and art of Watchmen. Within the field,
Watchmen has even become a text to compare other comics to.
However, most of these comparative writings on other

7. Watchmen and other comics are focused on comparing comics
published during the same era or written by the same author.
There are times in literature when comics since Watchmen,
written by different authors, are mentioned, but only a rare few
times is it not in more than a cursory manner. Current
scholarship lacks comparative analysis of a comic within the
same genre as Watchmen published in the wake of Watchmen’s
legacy for themes and elements that Watchmen approached.
Comment by joekilliany: Should one of those watchmen be
something else? Comment by joekilliany: Good clear
statement of gap in scholarship
In response to this largely unexplored territory of comics
studies, this proposal prompts a comparative analysis of the
writing and art of one of DC Comic’s most notable publications
and their one of their more recent and recognized published
works. One such comic that gained some notable approval by
critics is Superman: American Alien, written by Mark Landis in
2016, and it is this work and Watchmen that are the focus of
this proposal, which aims to answer the question: how do
themes of nationality and personal identity in Watchmen
compare to similar themes in Superman: American Alien? In
examining some of the strongest themes of Watchmen, and how
they compare to the same themes in Superman: American Alien,
the effects of Watchmen’s legacy and the passage of time on
presentation of themes in comics can be observed. Comment by
joekilliany: God question—one thing that could be clearer is
why the superman comic as the point of comparison. You could
have picked any comic—so what is it that is significant about
the text you choseWatchmen and its Legacy: Effects on the
World of Comics
At this point in the history of comic studies, Moore, Gibbons,
and Higgins’ 1986 work, Watchmen, is generally understood to
be a seminal text within the field (Carney 100; Davis 114; Ecke
106; Francis 281; Keating 1266; Prince 815; Romero-Jódar 40;
Pelliteri 82). The writer of Watchmen, Alan Moore, is also
regarded as a significant writer of comics by many scholars, and

8. this applies to both his writing for Watchmen, as well as other
works of his (Ecke 106; Prince 815; Romero-Jódar 40). In
particular, Prince writes that it was in writing Watchmen that
Moore was established as an important writer of the comics
medium (815). Indeed, as is stated Sean Carney’s article, “The
Function of the Superhero at the Current Time,” among scholars
of comics studies, it is a general assumption that the innovative
qualities of Watchmen and its effects on superhero comics put it
in the position of a monolith under which current comics all
reside (100). Author Geoff Klock, like Sean Carney, writes in
How to Read Superhero Comics and Why that comics since
1986 and Watchmen have been overshadowed by this powerful
work, and in addition, that it was Watchmen, as well as Miller’s
The Dark Knight Returns of the same year, that developed a
new visionary approach to creating comics (qtd. in Francis 289;
qtd. in Keating 1266).
Exactly how innovative Watchmen was, and how it was so, is up
to some debate. Interestingly, when touching on Klock’s claim
of Watchmen being revisionary, Erin Keating notes that even
when many critics decide to focus on this quality of Watchmen,
such a determination is in need of discussion, and she instead
decides to emphasize where Watchmen does not break from the
narrative trends within comics (1266). Francis notes this action
and reaction within critical writing when he cites both Klock
and Prince as writers with well-acknowledged claims regarding
the impact of Watchmen, but then notes that authors since
Prince have made counterpoints to this by claiming that
Watchmen has had no significant deviation from graphic novels
as a whole (289). Francis maintains, however, that within
superhero comics specifically, the effects of Watchmen are still
perceivable (289). Within this vein, Romero-Jódar claims that it
was Moore’s writing that pushed the comic book genre into the
realm of post-modernism in such a transformative way, while
Blair Davis writes that it was the way that Watchmen addressed
politics and morality that was so revolutionary for superhero
comics (Davis 114; Romero-Jódar 40). Comment by

9. joekilliany: What is her overall point in pointing out the
similarities it bears to other works? What does she find/argue?
Comment by joekilliany: These sound like somewhat
detailed arguments and it may make sense to go into them a
little more deeplyThematic Elements of Ideology and Identity in
Watchmen
Some scholars have connected themes within Watchmen, as well
as other works by Moore, to broader movements and ideologies,
and have compared Watchmen to other texts to do so. For
example, Pelliteri discusses in his essay how Watchmen
highlights the bourgeoisie ideologies common within superhero
narratives by using a complex superhero narrative that incites
analytical thinking (82). Romero-Jódar, on the other hand,
connects the aspect of simultaneity in the complex and layered
writing and art of Watchmen to similar themes of simultaneity
in works made in the avant-garde movement (42). Romero-Jódar
also highlights the narrative of individual versus society when
he discusses the relationship between those with the superhero
identity and their greater society by drawing parallels between
Watchmen and other films and advertisements (48).
Comment by joekilliany: If any specific works are noted,
might be helpful to mention them; readers like specifics
Comment by joekilliany: Another good place for an
example
As Davis writes, these broader topics of ideology within
Watchmen are more significantly visible when addressing
concepts of politics (114). There are a considerable number of
critical essays regarding Watchmen and politics. In one essay,
DuBose centers on connecting the concepts of a political
vigilante and heroic identity within American politics and
popular culture of the 1980s to how such identities are
portrayed in Watchmen, with a focus on the context of Reagan
and certain contemporary events and attitudes in the United
States. Also, within this sphere is an article by Price, wherein
he discusses the political facets of Watchmen and how the
narrative presents differing political and ideological

10. identities. Specifically, Price notes that in the narrative of the
comic, highly individual vigilante identities work for the cause
of the greater collective due to the influence of their national
identities (818). Price also analyzes, in detail, the artistic and
writing choices made for each character when portraying their
various political identities. Price also notes that the nuances of
American national identity are strong, considering that the
writer and illustrator of Watchmen are both British (816).
Themes concerning political identities also arise in other
articles. Francis wrote one essay, wherein he discusses how the
context of transnational works like Watchmen can compare to
singularly national works like The Dark Knight Returns in their
approach to the portrayal of the American superhero. The
context of nationality is also approached by Piatti-Farnell when
she addresses, delineating the symbolism of patriotic characters
in Watchmen to how the text both exposes and repeats the
notions of a nation as a woman and a man as the nation’s
protector, as well as the conflicted narrative of patriotism
within Watchmen (250, 246). Evidently politics and the
American identity are highly prevalent topics within critical
writing on Watchmen.Comparing Watchmen, and Where
Developments are Possible
Watchmen, given its somewhat against-the-grain approach to
superhero comics and strong thematic elements, has been a deep
well for literature comparing comics. For example, as
mentioned earlier, Francis has written an analysis of the
transnational context of the creation Watchmen compares to the
singularly national context of the creation of The Dark Knight
Returns. In fact, it is usually The Dark Knight Returns that is
most often put side-by-side with Watchmen, as they have some
noticeable similarities in their portrayal of superheroes, as well
as their mutual standing as comics published by DC Comics in
1986. This connection is put at the forefront in DuBose’s
article, wherein he directly compares and contrasts the
approaches to vigilantism in The Dark Knight Returns and
Watchmen. In another article, written by Isaac Cates, the main

11. focus is on the thematic elements of the superhero identity
surrounding Superman and Batman, but even here, these comics
are, for a short period within the writing, compared to previous
publications, most notably, Moore’s Watchmen (840). This
article, however, simply uses a singular aspect of Watchmen to
further the discussion of the topic, without having Watchmen be
the topic. Although this literature perhaps comes closest to what
this proposal is prompting, there is still a distinct lack of
scholarly writing that directly compares and contrasts
Watchmen to works of similar genre that have been created
within the shadow of Watchmen’s legacy in order to examine
this legacy and the works.
Methodology
To answer how themes of nationality and identity in Watchmen
compare to similar themes in Superman: American Alien,
comparative analysis of both works would require multiple
lenses of focus when approaching the works. These lenses
would manifest through adaptive forms, adapted to better suit
the multi-media work of comics, of literary analysis, contextual
analysis, and formal analysis of both comics. In the adaptive
literary analysis, the writing of both comics would be analyzed:
the narrative structure, the writing style, the literary devices
and thematic elements observable within both works would be
analyzed. In the adaptive contextual analysis, the circumstances
surrounding the real-world events, the time period and the
societal, economic, and political states of the places where both
comics, and their creators, were developed would be analyzed
for how they had, or hadn’t, affected the development of both
works. In the adaptive formal analysis, the artistic choices, and
the recognizable patterns and implications that can be derived
from those choices, would be analyzed. From these three
analyses, particular elements in both Watchmen and Superman:
American Alien that are applicable to themes of nationality and
identity would be examined and discussed, while similar
connections as well as areas of difference would be pointed out
and analyzed as well. By the end, the full analysis would give a

12. rundown of how the themes of nationality and identity are
recognizable in different aspects of the works, and how those
themes and their presentation compare and contrast to each
other.
Works Cited
“Academic Resources.” Comics Research, Dr. Gene
Kannenberg, Jr., 15 Feb. 2015,
comicsresearch.org/academic.html.
Carney, Sean. "The Function of the Superhero at the Present
Time." Iowa Journal of Cultural Studies 6 (2005): 100-
117. ProQuest, doi: 10.17077/2168-569X.1127
Davis, Blair. "Beyond Watchmen." Cinema Journal, vol. 56, no.
2, Winter2017, pp. 114-119. EBSCOhost,
doi:10.1353/cj.2017.0005.
DuBose, Mike S. "Holding Out for a Hero: Reaganism, Comic
Book Vigilantes, and Captain America." Journal of
Popular Culture, vol. 40, no. 6, 2007, pp. 915-935. ProQuest,
https://search.proquest.com/docview/53378016?accountid=1454
1, doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-
5931.2007.00478.x.
Ecke, Jochen. "'Solve and Coagula': Alan Moore and the
Classical Comic Book's Spatial and Temporal Systems."
Studies in Comics, vol. 2, no. 1, May 2011, pp. 105-119.
EBSCOhost, doi:10.1386/stic.2.1.105_1.
Francis, Fred. "‘Footnotes to Miller and Moore’: Monomyth and
Transnationality in the 1986 Superhero Comics."
Comparative American Studies, vol. 14, no. 3/4, Sep-Dec2016,
pp. 289-301. EBSCOhost,
doi:10.1080/14775700.2016.1267347.
Keating, Erin M. "The Female Link: Citation and Continuity in
Watchmen." Journal of Popular Culture, vol. 45, no.
6, 2012, pp. 1266-1288. ProQuest,
https://search.proquest.com/docview/1321788375?accountid=14
541, doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-

13. 5931.2011.00808.x.
Landis, Max, et al. Superman: American Alien. Burbank, CA:
DC Comics, 2016.
Moore, Alan, et al. Watchmen. New York, NY: DC Comics,
1987.
Miller, Frank, et al. The Dark Knight Returns. New York, NY:
DC Comics, 1986.
Romero-Jódar, Andrés. "A Hammer to Shape Reality: Alan
Moore's Graphic Novels and the Avant-Gardes."
Studies in Comics, vol. 2, no. 1, May 2011, pp. 39-56.
EBSCOhost, doi:10.1386/stic.2.1.39_1.
Pellitteri, Marco. "Alan Moore, Watchmen and some Notes on
the Ideology of Superhero Comics." Studies in
Comics, vol. 2, no. 1, May 2011, pp. 81-91. EBSCOhost,
doi:10.1386/stic.2.1.81_1.
Piatti-Farnell, Lorna. “‘For God’s Sake, Cover Yourself’:
Sexual Violence, Disrupted Histories, and the Gendered
Politics of Patriotism in Watchmen.” Journal of Graphic Novels
and Comics, vol. 8, no. 3, 11 Apr. 2017, pp. 238–251.
Taylor & Francis Online,
doi:10.1080/21504857.2017.1307869.
Prince, Michael J. "Alan Moore's America: The Liberal
Individual and American Identities in Watchmen."
Journal of Popular Culture, vol. 44, no. 4, 2011, pp. 815-830.
ProQuest,
https://search.proquest.com/docview/907088606?accountid=145
41, doi: 10.1111/j.1540- 5931.2011.00864
Running head: HOW MUCH PERFORMANCE-BASED
INTERVENTION IS NEEDED TO SHOW GENERALIZATION
IN SOCIAL COMPETENCY AMONG CHILDREN WITH
AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER?

14. 1
HOW MUCH PERFORMANCE-BASED INTERVENTION IS
NEEDED TO SHOW GENERALIZATION IN SOCIAL
COMPETENCY AMONG CHILDREN WITH AUSTISM
SPECTRUM DISORDER?
13
How Much Performance-Based Intervention is Needed to Show
Generalization in Social Competency Among Children with
Autism Spectrum Disorder?
A Research Proposal
Hope Lambert
George Mason University
Author Note
This paper was prepared for English 302-H09, taught by Joseph
Killiany.
Introduction
The aim of this research
Children and youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and
Asperger’s Syndrome (AS) often experience anxiety stemming
from social limitations including difficulties with facial
feature recognition, understanding social cues, and participating
in reciprocal social interactions (Corbett et al., 2014). Evidence
suggests that theatre and performance-based interventions can
help to develop the social skills deficient in many individuals
with AS and ASD (Corbett et al., 2011; Corbett et al., 2014;

15. Corbett et al., 2016). What is unclear at this time is how much
theatre and performance-based intervention is needed for
individuals with ASD and AS to generalize and maintain the
acquired social skills. In a promising pilot study conducted by
Lerner, Mikami and Levine (2011), participants showed
stability in gains made through a six-week summer
performance-based program, called Socio-Dramatic Affective-
Relational Intervention, or SDARI. There is evidence to suggest
that neurological deficiencies in early childhood among
individuals with ASD and AS might contribute to delayed social
competency skills in adolescents, which in turn leads to an
increase in anxiety and depression (Chasen, 2014, Back
Through the Looking Glass section, para. 7). This research
proposal aims to further investigate the amount of intervention
necessary for children with ASD and AS to incorporate their
gains in social competency into their everyday lives (i.e.
generalizing the gains) and to maintain those gains from early
childhood to adolescence.
Terminology
Stirring some controversy in the greater ASD community, the
latest version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of
Mental Disorders 5th Edition (DSM-5) eliminates the AS
diagnosis as well as another condition, similar in some ways to
AS, known as Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise
Specified or PPD-NOS and puts both under the ASD umbrella
(Chasen, 2014). Chasen (2014) argues that this change has
presented a challenge in providing intervention plans as there
are differences in behavior and severity of symptoms in children
with AS, PPD-NOS, and, what some researchers refer to as,
High Functioning Autism (Chapter 1, Matthew section, para. 2).
For the purposes of this research proposal, the author intends to
continue to distinguish between the diagnoses; therefore, the
terms ASD, AS, PPD-NOS, and High Functioning Autism, and
Nonverbal Learning Disability will continue to appear in this
literature review when they have been referred to in the primary

16. research sources as such.
Additionally, with regard to distinguishing between
interventions, studies on the efficacy of theatre and
performance-based interventions cover a range of programs and
techniques. For example, Corbett et al. (2010) evaluate the
Social Emotional NeuroScience Endocrinology (SENSE)
Theatre in their pilot study with a focus on social functioning in
children with ASD while also examining anxiety levels among
participants. Godfrey and Haythorne (2013) look specifically at
the effectiveness of a dramatherapy program (Roundabout) in a
school setting. Guli, Semrud-Clikeman, Lerner, and Britton
(2013) study the impact of the Social Competence Intervention
Program (SCIP), a performance-based program, on children
with ASD. And Wilmer-Barbrook (2013) highlights a single
case study participant in a dramatherapy social competency
intervention for adolescents with AS. For the purposes of this
proposal, the author has determined that the thematic
connection between those programs is the performance-based,
practical nature of the intervention. Therefore, from this point
forward, the author gathers all theater and performance-based
interventions under one umbrella, calling them simply
performance-based interventions.
What we Know So Far about ASD and AS – Symptoms and
Severity
Social Competency
It is widely understood that individuals with ASD and AS
experience delays in social competency (Corbett et al., 2014;
Corbett et al., 2016; Gates, Kang, & Lerner, 2017; Godfrey &
Haythorne, 2013). Corbett et al. (2016) describes these delays
as an inability to read and understand facial and body cues in
others and therefore the inability to respond appropriately in
social situations. Gates et al. (2017) further suggest that these
delays potentially contribute to a peer bullying and a sense of
isolation for individuals with ASD and AS.

17. Anxiety
In addition to social isolation and bullying, or perhaps as a
result of, youth in the ASD and AS communities often report
experiencing anxiety particularly in social situations (Corbett et
al., 2010). Godfrey and Haythorne (2013) further establish that
as children with ASD reach their adolescent years, the
awareness of their social limitations may also compound their
anxiety especially as the intensity of social interactions
increases disproportionately to the level of social functioning
skills needed in the teen years. Therefore, it is necessary that
researchers continue to examine the causes and contributors to
ASD symptoms and which interventions provide the most
consistent results in supporting the development of healthy
social functioning.
What are the Suspected Contributors to these Symptoms?
Facial Recognition
With an estimated 1 in 68 U.S. diagnosis rate, researchers are
still working to uncover what might be the root cause of ASD
and AS symptoms and symptom severity (Zwaigenbaum et al.,
2015). Research shows that individuals with ASD and AS
experience delays in social functioning beginning in early
childhood and continuing throughout adolescence (Corbett et
al., 2014; Corbett et al., 2016; Eussen et al., 2015; Guli,
Semrud-Clikeman, Lerner, & Britton, 2013). Corbett et al.
(2011) suggest that this delay in social functioning contributes
to elevated anxiety for those with ASD. One study conducted in
the Netherlands, designed to examine the association between
facial feature recognition plus emotion identification and ASD
symptom severity in adolescents, found that there appears to be
a connection between an individual’s ability to accurately
identify emotions as well as to quickly and accurately recall
facial features and the individual’s social aptitude (Eussen et
al., 2015). Eussen et al. (2015) hypothesize that the limitations

18. in facial recognition and emotion identification in early
childhood contribute to the inability of individuals with ASD
and AS to engage with new peers and to function in a social
setting similarly to their typically developing peers. Eussen et
al. (2015) further suggest that these early childhood delays in
face and emotion processing contribute to the delays in social
competency gains and, thus, toward anxiety in adolescents with
ASD and AS. In other words, the ability to recognize faces and
emotions in early childhood feeds a social competency feedback
loop and if one component is missing, the loop breaks down in
later childhood.
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
Semrud-Clikeman, Walkowiak, Wilkinson, and Minne (2010),
put forward the idea that children with AS and Nonverbal
Learning Disability (a condition sometimes confused with AS
and High Functioning Autism), show greater deficits in emotion
recognition and reading body language. Semrud-Clikeman et al.
(2010) set out to investigate differences in social competencies
among children with AS, NLD, and ADHD. Their research led
to a possible conclusion that the social deficits children with AS
display in childhood coupled with attention deficits (ADHD and
AS often share a comorbidity) might be the root cause of the
social competency issues children with AS face. In other words,
the neurological delays in facial recognition and processing
coupled with attention deficits might be the basis of the delays
in understanding social cues (Semrud-Clikeman et al, 2010).
Neurological Connections
In his book Engaging Mirror Neurons to Inspire Connection and
Social Emotional Development in Children and Teens on the
Autism Spectrum: Theory into Practice through Drama Therapy,
Lee Chasen(2014) highlights the need for children with autism
to have ample opportunity to practice the social skills necessary
to engage successfully with the world around them (Back

19. Through the Looking Glass, para. 13).
Chasen (2014) recalls the accidental though significant mirror-
neuron discovery of the 1990s which established that human
brains are wired in such a way that we learn to understand
human behavior and to develop empathy by observing other
people (Back Through the Looking Glass section, para. 1). In
other words, we can watch an athlete score a goal and
understand that that person is the one who scored the goal and
still we feel the elation and the triumph with the athlete. For
individuals with ASD, there is evidence to suggest that the
neurological connection that allows humans to connect socially
and to understand human behavior (i.e. mirror neurons) is
lacking (Chasen, 2014, Back Through the Looking Glass
section, para. 7). Chasen (2014) goes on to suggest that with
what we now understand regarding neuroplasticity (or the
human brain’s ability to reroute neurological connections) that
performance-based interventions offer the kind of practice
opportunities required to develop the neurological deficiencies
necessary for appropriate and rewarding social interaction
(Back Through the Looking Glass section, para. 12).
Social Competency Interventions
GSSI
Seeking to prove and improve the efficacy of social competency
interventions for children with AS and ASD, researchers have
examined Group Social Skills Interventions (GSSI) as well as
performance-based interventions. According to McMahon,
Lerner, and Britton (2013), GSSI are a group-based, social
skills intervention working mainly with high functioning
individuals with an ASD diagnosis. They go on to suggest that
GSSI are the primary intervention used in the development of
social competency among the AS and ASD communities
(McMahon, Lerner, & Britton, 2013). Interestingly, in a study
conducted by Gates et al. (2017) to determine the efficacy of
GSSI, the researchers discovered, through a meta-analysis of

20. past research, that GSSI greatly vary in length of the
intervention overall, duration of individual sessions, as well as
content and programming, making a conclusive study of GSSI
efficacy a challenge
. Still, Gates et al. (2017) conclude that GSSIs show only
modest improvement in social competency among youth with
ASD. Furthermore, through examining self-reporting methods
typically used in ASD intervention research, Gates et al. (2017)
suggest that it is possible that children with ASD gain an
understanding of behaviors attributed to social aptitude but do
not incorporate them into home and school life. They
hypothesize that this might be because of the pedagogical nature
of GSSI and that by creating environments conducive to
practicing social skills, GSSI might show greater gains social
competency outcomes and generalization of skills (Gates, Kang,
& Lerner, 2017).
Theatre and Performance-based Interventions
As Goldstein, Lerner, and Winner (2017) suggest, the arts in
general are a missed research opportunity for developmental and
behavioral psychologists despite the broad inclusion of arts in
the educational, psychological, and therapeutic worlds.
However, recent studies have highlighted the improvements in
social competency made by performance-based interventions
especially among adolescents with AS and ASD (Corbett et al.,
2011; Corbett et al., 2014; Corbett et al., 2016; Godfrey &
Haythorne, 2013; Guli et al., 2013; Lerner, Mikami, & Levine,
2011; and Wilmer-Barbrook, 2013). More specifically, Corbett
et al. (2010) suggest that performance-based interventions can
provide the opportunities for individuals with AS and ASD to
develop social skills through practice. Chasen (2014) supports
this idea by suggesting that through neuroplasticity, children
and adolescents with AS and ASD can potentially improve
neurological deficiencies in the areas which support social
skills development by practicing social reciprocity, observing
and naming emotions, and by expressing the emotions of a

21. character/role (inherent activities of a performance-based
intervention) (Back Through the Looking Glass section, para.
12).
Conclusion
Understanding the root causes of AS and ASD symptom severity
is a key component in answering the question of how best to
support social competency development in those with ASD as
well as to determine which interventions are the most
successful. Eussen et al. (2015) hypothesize that children with
ASD cognitively process facial features differently than their
neurotypical peers, suggesting that a possible neurological
cause leads to the difference in facial recognition and facial
feature recall early in childhood. According to Eussen et al.
(2015) and supported by Chasen (2014) this neurological
difference could be a contributing factor to the symptoms of
anxiety and depression later in adolescence when social
pressures become elevated all while developmental social
milestones have been missed. Further research, expanding upon
existing studies that investigate the efficacy of performance-
based interventions, is needed to uncover how much time spent
in performance-based interventions allows for improvements in
social functioning and for those improvements to cross-over
into every day life, to be generalized.
Method
This research proposal will establish a longitudinal study of
children diagnosed with ASD, starting in the elementary school-
age years and culminating in the adolescent years. Through 3
consecutive four-week summer programs, followed by 2 per
consecutive school year, six-week after-school (running once in
the fall and once in the spring) sessions, this researcher will
conduct pre-and-post tests to determine facial recognition
accuracy and speed, as well as submit surveys to participants,
parents, and teachers querying the success of social functioning
in areas such as: social reciprocity, establishing initial contact

22. with new peers, understanding and responding appropriately to
social cues, developing friendships inside and outside the
program, and which of these skills continue during breaks in the
intervention as well as for a year post-study. Participants will
begin the study in the elementary school-age years, between the
ages of seven and ten. For three consecutive summers and
corresponding school years, participants will attend a four-week
performance-based summer program, as well as 2 six-week,
after-school performance-based sessions. Inviting participants
to engage in the study for three consecutive summers as well as
during the school year will provide the participants consistency
in programming and content as well as providing the researcher
an opportunity to collect data on improvements in social
competency over a span of years. This researcher hypothesizes
that the earlier children with ASD begin a performance-based
intervention and the more time spent working with the
intervention, the higher probability of successful outcomes.
References
Chasen, L. R. (2014). Engaging Mirror Neurons to Inspire
Connection and Social Emotional Development in Children and
Teens on the Autism Spectrum: Theory into Practice through
Drama Therapy [Kindle Fire Version]. Retrieved from
Amazon.com.
Corbett, B. A., Gunther, J. R., Comins, D., Price, J., Ryan, N.,
Simon, D., Schupp, C.W., Rios, T. (2011). Brief report: Theater
as therapy for children with autism spectrum disorder. Journal
of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 41: 505-511. DOI
10.1007/s10803-010-1064-1
Corbett, B. A., Key, A.P., Qualls, L., Fecteau, S., Newsome, C.,
Coke, C., Yoder, P. (2016). Improvement in social competence
using a randomized trial of theatre intervention for children
with autism spectrum disorder. Journal of Autism and
Developmental Disorders, 46 (2016): 658-672. DOI
10.1007/s10803-015-2600-9

23. Corbett, B. A., Swain, D. M., Coke, C., Simon, D., Newsom, C.,
Houchins-Juarez, N., Jenson, A., Wang, L., Song, Y. (2014).
Improvement in social deficits in autism spectrum disorders
using a theatre and performance-based, peer-mediated
intervention. Autism Research, 7: 4-16.
https://doi.org/10.1002/aur.1341
Eussen, M. L. J. M., Louwerse, A., Herba, C. M., Van Gool, A.
R., Verheij, F., Verhulst, F. C., Greaves-Lord, K., (2015).
Childhood facial recognition predicts adolescent symptom
severity in autism spectrum disorder. Autism Research, 8, 261-
271. https://doi.org/10.1002/aur.1443
Gates, J. A, Kang, E., Lerner, M. D. (2017). Efficacy of group
social skills interventions for youth with autism spectrum
disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Clinical
Psychology Review, 52, 164-181.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2017.01.006
Godfrey, E., Haythorne, D. (2013). Benefits of dramatherapy for
autism spectrum disorder: A qualitative analysis of feedback
from parents and teachers of clients attending Roundabout
dramatherapy sessions in schools. Dramatherapy, 35:1, 20-28.
DOI: 10.1080/02630672.2013.773131
Goldstein, T. R., Lerner, M. D., Winner, E. (2017). The arts as a
venue for developmental science: Realizing a latent
opportunity. Child Development, 8:5, 1505-1512.
https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.12884
Guli, L. A., Semrud-Clikeman, M., Lerner, M. D., Britton, N.
(2013). Social competence intervention program (SCIP): A pilot
study of a creative drama program for youth with social
difficulties. The Arts in Psychotherapy, 40, 37-44.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.aip.2012.09.002
Lerner, M. D., Mikami, A. Y., Levine, K. (2011). Socio-
dramatic affective-relational intervention for adolescents with
Asperger syndrome & high functioning autism: Pilot study.
Autism, 15:1, 21-42. DOI: 10.1177/1362361309353613

24. McMahon, C. M., Lerner, M. D., Britton, N., (2013). Group-
based social skills interventions for adolescents with higher-
functioning autism spectrum disorder: A review and looking to
the future. Adolescent Health, Medicine and Therapeutics, 4,
23-38. http://dx.doi.org/10.21.47/AHMT.S25402
Semrud-Clikeman, M., Walkowiak, J., Wilkinson, A., Minne, E.
P. (2010). Direct and indirect measures of social perception,
behavior, and emotional functioning in children with Asperger’s
disorder, nonverbal learning disability, or ADHD. Journal of
Abnormal Child Psychology, 38, 509-519. DOI:
10.1007/s10802-009-9380-7
Wilmer-Barbrook, C. (2013). Adolescence, Asperger’s and
acting: Can dramatherapy improve social and communication
skills for young people with Asperger’s syndrome?
Dramatherapy, 35:1, 43-56.DOI:
10.1080/02630672.2013.773130
Zwaigenbaum, L., Bauman, M. L., Choueiri, R., Fein, D.,
Kasari, C., Pierce, K.,…Wetherby, A. (2015). Early
identification and interventions for autism spectrum disorder:
Executive summary. Pediatrics 136: S1, S1-S9. DOI:
10.1542/peds.2014-3667B
�Just to clarify that the limitations result from a difficulties
with these things, not the things themselves.
�Good clarification.
�Good—this starts to get at the significance of the research
proposed
�Good—this clearly conveys the concepts from the literature

25. you want the readers to pick up on
�No publisher for this work is noted on the citation page. How
do you know it’s authoritative?
�Good point—this is very important to consider if you want to
determine amount of contact time needed for an intervention to
work
Rhetorical Devices Chart for Speech Analysis
Source Information: American Rhetoric
Title of Speech: A Whisper of AIDS Republican National
Convention Address
Speaker: Mary Fisher
Event: Republican National Convention Address
Where speech was delivered: Huston, Texas
Date: 19 August 1992
URL:
https://www.americanrhetoric.com/top100speechesall.html
Device
Example 1
Example 2
Audience
Mary Fisher addresses a global audience. She calls all the

26. American people and officials as she says: “I stand before you
and before the nation gladly”
Mary Fisher wants everybody to recognize that HIV is a real
threat to American people and despite all that has been done,
it’s still growing. She says: “In the context of an election year, I
ask you, here in this great hall, or listening in the quiet of your
home, to recognize that AIDS virus is not a political creature.,
Purpose
Mary Fisher states that curing HIV should be taken more
seriously because “This is not a distant threat. It is a present
danger. The rate of infection is increasing fastest among women
and children. Largely unknown a decade ago, AIDS is the third
leading killer of young adult Americans today”
Mary Fisher’s purpose is to educate people that those with HIV
shouldn’t be outcast from the society because “they don’t
benefit from being isolated or treated as outcasts. Each of them
is exactly what God made: a person; not evil, deserving of our
judgment; not victims, longing for our pity -- people, ready for
support and worthy of compassion.”
Repetition
At the end of his speech, Mary Fisher repeats two sentences that
are very similar to emphasize that she would not stop fighting
no matter how much society doesn’t want to change. In the first
sentence she says” I will not give in” and in the second sentence
she says: I will not rest, Max, until I have done all I can to
make your world safe.”
Mary Fisher wants to persuade her listeners that America can be
in great danger if they don’t take action against HIV and they
should be aware that no one is immune against HIV no matter
the race or religion.
In the first sentence she says:” If you believe you are safe, you

27. are at risk” and in the second sentence she says:” we are a
nation at risk.”
Imagery
According to the article: “Because people with HIV have not
entered some alien state of being. They are human.” Mary fisher
compares HIV patient to aliens to create a mental image for the
reader, she explains that those with HIV aren’t so different from
other people.
Mary Fisher compares HIV to a killer. “If you do not see this
killer stalking your children, look again. There is no family or
community, no race or religion, no place left in America that is
safe.” The writer is trying to help the reader to visualize how
dangerous this disease is.
Ethos
Mary Fisher establishes credibility with her audience by
referring to the fact that even the President and Mrs. Bush
support her and believe in her viewpoint. “The President and
Mrs. Bush have embraced me and my family in memorable
ways. In the place of judgment, they have shown affection. In
difficult moments, they have raised our spirits.”
Mary Fisher tries to convince her audience by sharing her own
story and revealing that she has HIV herself.” I would never
have asked to be HIV positive, but I believe that in all things
there is a purpose”
Logos

28. Mary Fisher uses statistic as her evidence to show facts and
logic. She states:” Americans are dead or dying. A million more
are infected. Worldwide, forty million, sixty million, or a
hundred million infections will be counted in the coming few
years.”
Mary fisher tries to convince her audience by using logical
appeal. She persuades her audience based on reasoning. She
states:
” This is not a distant threat. It is a present danger. The rate of
infection is increasing fastest among women and children.
Largely unknown a decade ago, AIDS is the third leading killer
of young adult Americans today”
Pathos
Mary fisher developed an emotional connection with her
audience, she explains that her family don’t blame her for
having HIV but rather sympathies and support her. “My 84-
year-old father, who has pursued the healing of the nations, will
not accept the premise that he cannot heal his daughter. My
mother refuses to be broken. She still calls at midnight to tell
wonderful jokes that make me laugh. Sisters and friends, and
my brother Phillip, whose birthday is today, all have helped
carry me over the hardest places. I am blessed, richly and
deeply blessed, to have such a family.”
Mary Fisher ends her speech with an appeal to her listeners that
also suffer from HIV. She asks them to come of the shadows of
hiding and take courage to tell others they have HIV. “I ask no
more of you than I ask of myself or of my children. To the

29. millions of you who are grieving, who are frightened, who have
suffered the ravages of AIDS firsthand: Have courage, and you
will find support. To the millions who are strong, I issue the
plea: Set aside prejudice and politics to make room for
compassion and sound policy.”