Essay Sample on Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a critical public health concern that impacts many children and adults in the United States. Around 2 million children have been diagnosed with the condition between the age of two and five years (CDC, 2019, para 1). Therefore, ADHD is among the most prevalent neurodevelopmental disorders among infants and children. As such, children suffering from the condition encounter difficulties in controlling impulsive behaviors, paying attention, and being overly active (CDC, 2019, para 1). ADHD website by the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) discusses the condition's signs and symptoms, types, causes, diagnosis, treatments, management symptoms, and the way to get help. The paper aims to rhetorically analyze the webpage on ADHD.

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ADHD is a complex medical condition. People diagnosed with the disease has variations in brain activity and development that impact attention, self-control, and capability to sit still. The condition can impact children at home, school, and in forging a friendship. Children with the condition may daydream, forget, fidget, and talk too much among others. Children with the condition may exhibit signs of one, two or three forms of the disorder which include Inattentive, Hyperactive, and impulsive. The causal and risk factors of the condition are not known; however, genetics plays a critical part according to current research. Further, the webpage refutes claims that the condition is caused by watching television, eating too much sugar, and environmental and social factors such as family chaos and poverty However, they may be contributing factors. To diagnose ADHD there is a checklist for rating the symptoms and reviewing the child's history presented by parents, teachers, and the child. ADHD is treated with a combination of medication, behavior therapy, parent coaching, and school support. In managing the condition, children must develop healthy eating habits, take part in physical exercise, getting enough sleep, and control the hours spent watching television, phones, and computers. Parents with concerns about ADHD should visit a specialist or contact local early intervention agency for children under the age of three or public school for children above the age of 3 years (CDC, 2019).

The CDC website's main objective is to inform the general public about ADHD and its prevalence. The CDC has defined the condition, its signs and symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment. Further, it has disproved the claim that ADHD is caused by parenting, family wrangles, poverty, eating too much sugar, and watching television for long periods (CDC, 2019, para 10). Likewise, the webpage has listed possible causes of the condition that are currently being investigated. These prompted the CDC to write about the exigence of ADHD due to its prevalence among young children and the existing misleading claims of the condition causal factors. Exigence is defined as an urgent demand or need (Davidson, 2018). Therefore, the elements of audience, exigence, main objective, and unfortified claims on the topic intermingle to assist the CDC to determine the type of argument with the greatest effect to the target audience (Davidson, 2018). As such, the CDC webpage has adopted a written method of communication.

The CDC's webpage on ADHD employs logos in the manner the content is presented, the layout of basic information, and how these combinations influence the reader's perception and reasoning. Logos is the use of logic to argue a claim (Robinson, 2018). As such, logos on the CDC's webpage are the written words used by the author to communicate their primary point to the audience. In essence, the CDC uses a concise and clear, easily understood, and well-organized information that builds from one subtopic to the other. For instance, the basic information page is broken into parts starting with the signs and symptoms of the ADHD up to ADHD in adults. As such, it is easy to navigate, in a logical manner, for people searching for particular information about the condition. Furthermore, the CDC has provided resources and links to the information that it has utilized throughout the webpage. The majority of the used resources are peer-reviewed journals. As such, the website information is credible, logical, and gives evidence-based logic.

Ethos is an ethical appeal that is used to persuade the author's credibility and reliability (Robinson, 2018). The webpage is written by the CDC, which is a part of the U.S Department of Health and Human Services. It is the key Federal agency for conducting and supporting public health protection throughout the U.S. The organization focuses on protecting the wellbeing of the general public. As such, it keeps humanity at the forefront of its mission to ensure health protection through prevention, preparedness, and promotion. Hence, the CDC depends on its famous recognition as a department with a long history of carrying out research and providing information to the public to appeal to ethos. The CDC website also draws ethos from the use of information from credible references. Also, the CDC has successfully avoided bias and use different approaches in data presentation from scientific research findings, which are primary elements in relations where ethos appeals to influence the reader.

The appeal for pathos is a method of influencing the emotions of the audience (Robinson, 2018). The appeal of pathos is demonstrated by the fact that CDC compiles, publishes, and review the data on the website. Besides, the CDC continues to research what is ailing and killing people to indicate the appeal of pathos. As such, the use of language, visual arts, and reference links for the caregivers and parents of children with the condition signifies the presence of empathy, which directly relates to emotional understanding and connection. Furthermore, the webpage in its explanation shows sensitivity for the audience by straightforwardly indicating that there is no known cause of the condition despite speculations that genetics plays a part, the site categorically lists factors that are being researched on as causal factors and does not blame any specific cause. Moreover, the CDC webpage has a get help section with resources, and the tone of the language shows a personal perspective. Thus, the CDC is efficient in aiming at the emotional appeal of the reader through the emphasis on tone.

In conclusion, the CDC webpage on ADHD is convincing, persuasive, and truthful based on its appeal to authority, logic, and emotion of normal visitors to the site. The site layout is simple, its language is relatable, and there is an emotional appeal to the reader. As such, the webpage has accomplished its core objective of informing the general public about ADHD and its prevalence in childhood. Therefore, through the website, the CDC have shown their capability to provide imperative information to caregivers and parents to enhance their lives and those of people diagnosed with the condition.

References

Robinson, P. G. (2018). Logos, Ethos, and Pathos: Whither Academia and public health in a post-truth world?

Davidson, R. D. (2018). Rhetorical Lessons in Health Advocacy: Advancing Persuasive Problems and Partial Solutions in Pro-Caregiving Advocacy Policy Statements. The Rhetoric of Health & Medicine, 1(3), 323-348.