Rhetorical analysis
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Rhetorical analysis
Introduction
The Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has a website on ADHD that describes it as a common neurodevelopmental disorder among children. In most cases, it is diagnosed first in childhood and may last into adulthood. Young children with this disorder find it difficult to control their behaviors, are overly active, and find it difficult to pay attention. The condition is usual in children as they lose focus unknowingly sometimes. The Website of the CDC about ADHD is summarized below.
The intended readers of this site are mental health practitioners, individuals experiencing the symptoms of ADHD, and parents of children with the condition. This site is a government-funded site for the department of health and human services. There are ongoing controversies and discussions about ADHD in different sites from different bodies in the United States. It gives the insight that the lives of the condition victims are at stake and should be managed before getting worse.
Summary of the Site
Signs and Symptoms
CDC’s website on the disorder has clearly outlined the signs and symptoms of the disease. They are keen to note that children with the condition rarely grow out of it and maybe in their adulthood, as mentioned above. The signs and symptoms though severe, are manageable and can be managed with the right measures. However, they are associated with difficulty relating with peers in school, at home, or with friends.
The most common signs of ADHD are a lot of daydreaming during the day and making avoidable mistakes while taking careless risks (Sciberras. et al., 2017). They may also talk too much while squirming or fidgeting. Additionally, they find it hard to get along with others, have a hard time resisting temptations, easily forget and have trouble taking turns. It is not necessarily that a child presents with all the signs and symptoms mentioned above. In most cases, they have approximately three to five of them.
Diagnosis, Treatment, and Management
ADHD is not tested like any other mental disorder such as depression and anxiety. The diagnosis steps involve medical exams and using checklists and the child’s history to rate the symptoms and determine whether the condition is ADHD and the type of ADHD. It is treated through drug and behavior therapy depending on the age of the patient. According to Fridman et al. (2017), when the symptoms of ADHD are not treated during the early stages, the patient is likely to die from other conditions that come with ADHD. Right treatment includes having follow-ups to monitor the disease determine if another method should be used to treat it. It is essential to manage the symptoms of ADHD to prevent it from worsening. Developing health activities such as good nutrition, physical activities, and getting enough sleep are the best management methods.
Rhetorical Tools Used on the Website
Pathos
Pathos is a rhetorical analysis tool that appeals to emotion (Canu 2020). It is an aspect that convinces an audience about an argument by creating an emotional response to a convincing story. Examples of pathos include grief, loneliness, passion, love, despair, among others. The website is lacking to show pathos since it has no real-life scenarios. On the contrary, it talks about children in a passionate way and expresses the causes of ADHD in a relatively sad tone.
Ethos
Ethos is used to describe the beliefs and ideals of a community or nation. The document demonstrates ethos in several ways, showcasing people’s ideologies of ADHD. For instance, there is an argument about the risk factor and cause of ADHD. People believe that it is caused by a lot of sugar intake and screen-time. However, research shows that genetics are closely related to ADHD and other factors such as brain injury and premature delivery. In that instance, the community’s beliefs and notions are expressed, and an argument is put in place to show how accurate or correct their ideas are.
Logos
It is a rhetorical analysis tool used to persuade the targeted audience through employing logic. The site shows this literacy device works hand in hand with pathos and ethos. For example, the site convinces the audience that the causes of ADHD are genetics and other risky behaviors during pregnancy. The site explains that the people’s notions are not wrong; however, they lack supporting evidence and seem inaccurate. Logos are used in the site through statistics, facts, and data.
Effectiveness of the Site
In my opinion, the site effectively presents its point to the target audience. It is through the rhetorical tools applied and statistical data presented. The ideas and people’s opinions are clearly outlined with a back-up of supporting data from research. According to (Canu 2020), a good website should be precise and straightforward with clearly outlined subtitles. This site has subtitles and well-elaborated points that emphasized evidence-based data.
It has used illustrations of literary devices and rhetorical tools such as logos, ethos, and pathos. It has addressed the most asked questions of ADHD to meet the needs of the target audience. A target audience is a particular group of individuals that the site is aimed at. On this site are individuals with the conditions, parents of children with the disorder, ADHD, or mental health practitioners.
In summary, the website is efficient and effective with relevant information about ADHD. It is detailed with a back-up of references from research from the past and current years. It addresses the fears and curiosity of the target audience with reliable information about the disorder. Additionally, it shows the importance of creating awareness about ADHD, its signs and symptoms, prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and management methods.
References
Canu, W., 2020. ADHD in North Carolina: Prevalence, treatment, and looking to the future. North Carolina medical journal, 81(2), pp.122-125.
Fridman, M., Banaschewski, T., Sikirica, V., Quintero, J., & Chen, K. S. (2017). Access to diagnosis, treatment, and supportive services among pharmacotherapy-treated children/adolescents with ADHD in Europe: data from the Caregiver Perspective on Pediatric ADHD survey. Neuropsychiatric disease and treatment, 13, 947.
Sciberras, E., Mulraney, M., Silva, D., & Coghill, D. (2017). Prenatal risk factors and the etiology of ADHD—review of existing evidence. Current psychiatry reports, 19(1), 1.