Kristina Peveto

RWS 1301

Genre Analysis Final

Autism is not a disease, its a disorder, and many families each day are affected by the

disorder each day. One in every 42 boys are diagnosed with autism, while one in 186 girls are

diagnosed. But why are boys more prone to being diagnosed with autism? What makes them so

different that it affects them more? Is the genetic code for autism in their genes? This essay will

research how experts in the field are communicating facts about the notion of women being more

prone to the disorder. In this essay, I will be analyzing two different genres both based on the

same topic (why are boys more prone to autism than girls) one of the genres is a typography or

magazine Genetics may explain why Autism is more common in boys, and the other is

iconography which is a video about a study that was made Why do more boys than girls have

Autism.

Structure and Delivery

The article Genetics may explain why Autism is more common in boys talks about how

the genetics of boys may play a key factor in why they are more prone to becoming autistic. The

genre states that girls have a higher tolerance for harmful genetic mutations and therefore

require a larger number of them than boys to reach the diagnostic threshold of a development

disorder (Engel king, Carter). Because of this it shows that the information is shaped in an

informative point of view giving evidence to the reader about where the information is taken

from and why it is important.

The video Why do more boys than girls have Autism agrees with the articles standpoint in

which the genetics are involved with how the role of autism comes into play. However, this video

states that if genes on X chromosome are involved and a girl has two X chromosomes and one

of them has a gene defect and maybe the idea would be that the other chromosome is relatively

protected (Share Care). The genre states not only that the disorder is genetic but that the reason

why girls dont have the disorder as much as boys do is that the X chromosomes help fight of the

disorder together.

Audience and Purpose

The article Genetics may explain why Autism is more common in boys targets the

specific audiences of families that are dealing with Autism, this is shown where it explains the

facts around why they believe that the theory of genetic is in hand. The other Audience is the

doctors that are conducting research on the disorder they might want to use the information given

by the article in the research. Knowing all the facts are good in a way that it can help a family

stay more relaxed knowing why their sons are affected and their daughter isnt, as well as

helping doctors who need the facts to possibly complete their research or just to help them

understand what has been done and what still needs to be done within the research field.

The video Why do more boys than girls have Autism targets more the parents and

families that are affected by autism explaining to them more about what the difference is

specifically of the genetics between the genres, saying that since the girls have 2 X chromosomes

thats why they are less likely to get the disorder. Because of this it is only targeted to the

families and parents since this video was already created by doctors.
 Rhetorical issues: Ethos, Logos, and Pathos

Rhetorical issues have a big impact on the genres. The article Genetics may explain why

Autism is more common in boys shows credibility by giving evidence and facts from a team of

geneticists from the U.S and Switzerland. The typography genre however doesnt convey

emotions in the fact that it is more of an informative article than a persuasive. The article also

gives evidence by giving facts and not just summarizing their information.

The video Why do more boys than girls have Autism implies credibility to the video by

interviewing Eric Courchesne, PhD from UC San Diego. The genre also provides emotion by

giving hope to the families that are affected by autism by providing a positive atmosphere when

talking about the information. Because of this the evidence of the facts is provided by the

resources that the facts are taken from as well as that the video is from a health care website.

In conclusion, I believe that the article Genetics may explain why Autism is more

common in boys shows more evidence and facts about how boys are more common to get

autism, and the video Why do more boys than girls have Autism just explains the typographys

decision that it is about the genetics but the video goes into more detail in that it says that the X

Chromosomes are involved.

 References

Genetics May Explain Why Autism Is More Common in Boys. (2014, February
27). Retrieved February 04, 2017, from http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/d-
brief/2014/02/27/genetics-may-explain-why-autism-is-more-common-in-
boys/#.WJVicBjMyu4

Why Do More Boys Than Girls Have Autism? (n.d.). Retrieved February 04,
2017, from https://www.sharecare.com/video/health-topics-a-z/autism/why-
do-more-boys-than-girls-have-autism