Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 23, 2026

The Adventures of Fundi Intervention Based on the Cognitive and Emotional Processing in Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder Patients
Published on: June 12, 2020
Slow Processing Speed and Sluggish Cognitive Tempo in Pediatric Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: Evidence
Nathan E Cook1,2, Ellen B Braaten3, Pieter J Vuijk4
1Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School; Learning and Emotional Assessment Program, Massachusetts General Hospital; & MassGeneral Hospital for Children™ Sport Concussion Program, 101 Merrimac Street, 10th Floor Room 1060, Boston, MA, 02114, USA. necook@mgh.harvard.edu.
Abstract:
The association between slow processing speed and sluggish cognitive tempo (SCT), a phenotype described within attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) samples over the past decade, remains unclear. 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.
More Related Videos
10:02Event Related Potentials ERPs and other EEG Based Methods for Extracting Biomarkers of Brain Dysfunction: Examples from Pediatric Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder ADHD
Published on: March 12, 2020
07:42Dual-Task Stroop Paradigm for Detecting Cognitive Deficits in High-Functioning Stroke Patients
Published on: December 16, 2022
Related Concept Videos
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
Diagnostic Criteria and Symptoms
To diagnose ADHD, symptoms must manifest before age 12 and be evident across multiple settings....
The Evidence for Evolution
Causes of Social Behavior II: Cognitive Processes
Correlations
Cognitive Dissonance
Gene Evolution - Fast or Slow?
In contrast, regions which code...