Slow Processing Speed and Sluggish Cognitive Tempo in Pediatric Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: Evidence for Differentiation of Functional Correlates.

We examined whether SCT and processing speed predict different functional correlates within children and adolescents with ADHD. Participants were 193 clinically-referred youth meeting DSM ADHD criteria without comorbid conditions (mean age = 9.9 years, SD = 2.5; age range 6-16). The incremental utility of SCT and processing speed to predict (1) adaptive functioning and (2) academic achievement, after controlling for age, sex, medication status, and ADHD symptom burden, was assessed using hierarchical multiple regressions. SCT symptoms significantly predicted adaptive functioning, accounting for 6% of the variance, but did not predict academic achievement. Processing speed did not add incrementally to the prediction of adaptive functioning, but did predict academic achievement, accounting for 4% of the variance. Results suggest that SCT and processing speed differentially predict functional abilities not accounted for by ADHD symptom burden. PMID: 31227946 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Source: Child Psychiatry and Human Development - Category: Child Development Authors: Tags: Child Psychiatry Hum Dev Source Type: research