Review of an ADHD CHADD Website

ENG-105

date

Instructor:

ADHD Community

Evaluating the Quality of an Internet Resource: The National Resource on ADHD (CHADD)

Per the National Alliance on Mental Illness, ADHD is one of the most researched disorders (NAMI, 2016.). According to USA Today’s article on Brain scans better at detecting ADHD in children, (2015) ADHD, also known as Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder is a chronic neurodevelopmental disorder that affects “more than six million children in the U.S,” and often persists into adulthood (2015, para.1). Subsequently, symptoms of ADHD entail an array of excessive and persistent problems that consist of, difficulty keeping attention, hyperactivity, and controlling impulsive behaviors. Furthermore, many websites containing a plethora of information regarding ADHD; that can furthermore provide information on research that is currently in the process of being conducted regarding treatments as well as the prevalence of children who are being diagnosed, educational resources, advocacy, and support. Thus, the National Resource on ADHD (CHADD) website is a valuable site to consider when needing to look up information regarding Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD). The CHADD website provides an excellent foundation for the types of ADHD, the signs, and symptoms, treatments, as well as offering educational resources, support groups, and advocacy to parents on how to help their child with ADHD. Concluding that the CHADD website on ADHD is a well-organized and informative site based examining on the authority, currency, and objectivity; in return, CHADD clearly showed to be of value to any individual seeking information regarding Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD).

These days, it is so easy to find information on just about any topic on the Internet. Even though, many sites discuss topics on ADHD; an array of confusing and contradicting information on Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder can be found on the Internet. For this reason, to avoid any misleading, inaccurate or even confusing information, a web page should contain certain criteria’s that prove the site to be of value for individuals seeking reliable information on ADHD. These Criteria’s are typically known to be used to help a reader evaluate a website and decide if the material contained is valuable and knowledgeable for them to have a better understanding. Thus, three criteria were used to evaluate National Resource on ADHD (CHADD) website with the criteria of authority, currency, and objectivity.

Authority, objectivity, and accuracy are some of the most solid criteria available to evaluate a website (DeCosta, M., para. 9). Moreover, Authority refers to investigate the credibility of the author or creator of the Web page (Rager, 2003). Authority is necessary for web pages to have because it tells viewers who and where the publisher is from, in this case, the National Resource on ADHD (CHADD) website is affiliated with a very well-known and reputable government agency known as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In this case, doctors who specialize in mental health-related disorders report their research and findings to the CDC, and in return, the CDC allows the National Resource on ADHD (CHADD, 2016) to provide this useful information to the ADHD community.

Henceforth, according to Chinn (2015), “Currency refers to how up-to-date the website is” (para. 9), and is another important and helpful criterion to apply when assessing the quality of Internet resources. However, when the criteria for currency is used in a web page, currency alone does not always ensure the quality of an Internet resource. Thus, to avoid any misleading, inaccurate or even confusing information, a web page should contain currency. In this case, the CHADD organization effectively presents currency throughout the entire web page. For instance, the web page’s copyright is 2016; this is a great sign that this web page is consistently being regularly updated and in return, this would lead a reader to believe that the information is up-to-date and relevant (CHADD, 2016). Furthermore, this helps prove that the CHADD web page is indeed a true and updated web page that the public can trust on information related to ADHD.

Finally, the coverage; is one of the most important factors to consider before thinking about relying on information on a web page. When information and the tone of a website seem to come across one-sided, it could lead to bias information. Furthermore, this important criterion that should be applied is the objectivity of a web page. Additionally, the web page should look well organized, up to date with appropriate illustrations, multimedia as well as useful external links that properly work. For instance, when looking at the CHADD web page; the web page comes across as neutral and not one-sided as well as CHADD is a great organization that’s goal and priorities are to help support, educate, and advocates for parents of children with ADHD and adults affect by ADHD (CHADD, 2016). Overall, this web page has passed the objectivity criteria guideline; making this web page to appear respectful and professional.

As shown above, despite all the misleading, confusing, and contradicting information that is found encompassing health- related information on Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Using knowledgeable criteria tools such as authority, currency, and objectivity can be extremely helpful when looking for a credible, factual, reliable, and up-to-date information about this topic. Also, after applying these three criteria helped validate that the CHADD web page is not only trustworthy but also is a reliable web page for adults and families seeking informative information and support to the needs of adults and families affected by ADHD.

References

Development Disabilities, Center for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC (2016) Facts about ADHD, Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/adhd/facts.html

Grand Canyon University. (Ed.). (2015). Writing with purpose. Available from http://gcumedia.com/digital-resources/grand-canyon-university/2015/writing-with-purpose_ebook_1e.php

National Alliance on Mental Illness. NAMI: National Alliance on Mental Illness – Mental Health Support, Education, and Advocacy. (2016). Retrieved from http://www.nami.org/Learn-More/Mental-Health-Conditions/ADHD

The National Resource on ADHD CHADD – The National Resource on ADHD. (2016). Retrieved from http://www.chadd.org/

Rager, K. B. (2003). Assessing the Quality of Internet Resources: Challenges and Useful Tools. Adult Learning, 14(4), 17-19. Retrieved from https://lopes.idm.oclc.org/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=23265899&site=ehost-live&scope=site

Study: Brain scans better at detecting ADHD in children. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2015/12/10/adhd-brain-scan-children/77124856/