The Associations Between Sluggish Cognitive Tempo, Internalizing Symptoms, and Academic Performance in Children With...

Area of Science:

• Child Psychology
• Neurodevelopmental Disorders
• Educational Psychology

Background:

• Reading disorder (RD) often co-occurs with other neurodevelopmental and emotional challenges.
• Sluggish cognitive tempo (SCT) is a pattern of symptoms characterized by slow thinking, processing speed, and attention difficulties.
• The interplay between SCT, ADHD-Inattention (ADHD-IN), anxiety, depression, and academic performance (AP) in children with RD requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the associations between SCT and anxiety, depression, and AP in children with RD.
• To determine if ADHD-Inattention (ADHD-IN) moderates the relationship between SCT and these outcomes.
• To differentiate between parent and teacher-reported effects.

Main Methods:

• Longitudinal study of 147 children (ages 6-18) with RD over 18 months.
• Parents and teachers completed regular evaluations of SCT, ADHD, anxiety, depression, and AP.
• Statistical analyses assessed cross-sectional and longitudinal associations and moderation effects of ADHD-IN.

Main Results:

• Teacher-rated SCT was significantly associated with higher anxiety and lower AP, both cross-sectionally and longitudinally.
• ADHD-Inattention significantly moderated these associations, with effects more pronounced in children with lower ADHD-IN.
• No significant associations were found between SCT and depression, nor for any parent-reported measures.

Conclusions:

• Teacher-reported SCT negatively impacts anxiety and academic performance in children with RD, particularly those with low ADHD-Inattention.
• These findings suggest that interventions targeting SCT may improve outcomes for children with RD.
• The discrepancy between teacher and parent reports highlights the importance of multi-informant assessments.