Running head: CHADD Online Discourse Community 1

CHADD Online Discourse Community

Fabiola Marquez
University of Texas at El Paso
English 1311
July, 25, 2014
Paul LaPrade
Audience: Children, Adults with ADHD and parents/ caregivers of such


CHADD Online Discourse Community 2

Introduction
According to Swales, a discourse community is defined by six basic rules. Common
public goals, intercommunication among members, provide information and feedback, possess
more than one genre, have their own language where they communicate with their members
(lexis), and most of the members have some type of expertise about the topic they are discussing.
As part of my research I have found a suitable online community that fits in into Swales
discourse community definition. CHADD is a non-profit organization whose main objective is to
provide education, advocacy and support for individuals with ADHD. ADHD is a common
disorder seen by many people in the United States. By definition ADHD is Attention deficit
hyperactivity disorder; a problem of not being able to focus, being overactive, not being able to
control behavior, or a combination of these. According to the Center for Disease Control and
Prevention, as of 2013, 5.9 million of children from the age of 3 to 17 years were diagnosed
with ADHD. Because of the increasing numbers of children and teens being diagnosed with this
disorder, certain organizations and or companies have had to change the way they work/function.
For example one of the important systems that have had to change is schools. Many test
administrative companies have had to change their standardized testing do to the growing
number of children and teens being diagnosed.

Discussion
Like I mentioned before, CHADDs community follows the six basic rules of what Swales
calls a discourse community. In the CHADD community their main goal is to provide education,
advocacy and support for individuals with ADHD. The way that CHADD members
intercommunicate is by providing a chatting place where people with ADHD can ask questions
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to online support resources and or can speak to a volunteer from their community and find
answers to any question and or problem they might have. The ways that this community provides
information and feedback to people is by holding virtual conferences where they talk about what
ADHD is in detail and help many people understand. Other than providing basic information
about the disorder, the CHADD community also talks about the certain medications that can be
taken for ADHD with prescription by a specialist and ways to take such without becoming
addicted to them. The lexis for this community is a magazine that member and non-members can
subscribe to in order to get a better idea of what this community has to offer.
Main Claim and Confirmation
Even if there are many websites and other sources that provide help to adults and children
with ADHD, I personally do not believe that ADHD actually exists such like people make it
seem as. Neurologist Richard Saul mentions he feels ADHD is nothing more than a fake
disorder that is really only an umbrella of symptoms and not actually a disorder. I personally
agree with his point. I have a sister that was diagnosed with this disorder and since I live with her
I have been able to notice that ADHD really is not real. The way that certain children become
diagnosed with this disorder is because they are not doing so well in school and or they have a
limited attention span. In the case of my sister, she was constantly fighting people in school and
had signs of a low self-esteem. She began middle school and started to get bad grades and not
focus and or pay much attention in classes. Teachers would call my mother constantly and
complain about the fact that my sister would not listen and would talk back and would not focus.
This is when I noticed the reason for her actions. Schools are the problem and the cause for the
plague of ADHD. The education system is failing because they are doing and teaching the way
they did in the past. For this reason, students are being alienated from their studies according to
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Sir Ken Robinson from TED Talks. Basically, in my opinion students are being bored because
teachers are just cramming information at once at them and expect them to remember everything
in the long run. I personally think that teachers need to find a way to motivate their students to
learn and that the only way that ADHD statistics will decrease. By incorporating technology into
the classroom, students become more engaged into the modern way of teaching and learning
certain concepts. In another perspective about ADHD I have observed that the way that doctors
are treating this ADHD disorder is by drugging their patients so they can pay more attention. I
do not like the whole idea about drugging children and or pre teens just to control them. I do not
think its right. I have experienced how my sister has changed so much due to the medication that
she has been taking and the change is extreme. She is currently 12 years old but she acts like a 16
year old. This medication does not let students be themselves and makes them live in a parallel
world with no reality.
Refutation
Just like I have my personal view of such topics such like this one, many other people
have their counter arguments about topics as well. Some people, communities, and even parents
consider the whole ADHD disorder to be true. According to the ADHD Awareness Month
website, what makes ADHD different from other conditions is that the symptoms are excessive,
pervasive, and persistent. That is, behaviors are more extreme, show up in multiple settings, and
continue showing up throughout life. Also, No single test will confirm that a person has
ADHD. Instead, diagnosticians rely on a variety of tools, the most important of which is
information about the person and his or her behavior in a regular environment, if the person
meets all of the criteria for ADHD. The fact that doctors are actually doing this to determine if a
certain person does have this disorder, is really good but to me it still does not prove that ADHD
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actually exists. Also, some of the medications that doctors and or parents of patients feel are
working on people that suffer from this disorders are really helpful when it comes to controlling
the person with ADHD but, the bad thing about this is that along with the amazing help it
provides, also comes the side effects that can affect the person in the long run. Decreased
appetite, sleep problems are some of the common side effects that show up according to
National Institute of Mental Health, but of course there are always more that could appear that
could affect the people in worse ways. My sister was diagnosed with ADHD around 6 years ago
and ever since she was diagnosed, she has taken various medications. She is now 12 years old,
yet she does not look like one. The medication has caused a side effect where it does not let her
body develop so therefore she looks like a little girl. Aside from this, the medication also makes
her act as if she 16 years old per say and when she is off the pill, she acts totally opposite and
seems as if she is 6 years old.
Conclusion
The diagnosis and treatment of ADHD are very complex and controversial. Although
there is somewhat of proof that this disorder exists, professionals continue to struggle to make an
accurate diagnosis and prescribe treatments with established long-term efficacy. As what I can
tell it looks like ADHD will always be around and through the process of the years, more and
more people will get diagnosed with this disorder. Therefore, no matter where ones view stands,
either a believer in ADHD or not, there will always be resources such like CHADD website that
can provide helpful links and helpful answers to any questions we might have.



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References
1. Martino, Joe. "ADHD Is A Fake Disorder Claims Neurologist-Turned-
Author." CollectiveEvolution RSS. Collective Evolution, 8 Jan. 2014. Web. 23 July 2014.

2. Robinson, Sir Ken. "RSA Animate - Changing Education Paradigms." YouTube.
YouTube, 14 Oct. 2010. Web. 23 July 2014.

3. n.a. "7 Facts You Need To Know About ADHD." Global ADHD Awareness Month
October 2013 RSS. ADHD Awareness Month, 2011. Web. 24 July 2014.


4. n.a. "Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder." NIMH RSS. National Institute of
Medical Health, 2012. Web. 24 July 2014.

5. n.a. "Understanding ADHD." Understanding ADHD. Children and Adults with
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, n.d. Web. 24 July 2014