Sluggish Cognitive Tempo in Latino Youth

Sluggish Cognitive Tempo (SCT) is seen in some children and may include: daydreaming, inconsistent alertness, absentmindedness, behaving or thinking slowly, appearing tired after enough sleep, and lacking energy. The symptoms can be divided into two domains: cognitive and behavioral. SCT is associated with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). SCT can impact academic and social functioning and be associated with elevated anxiety and depression. Literature on SCT focuses mainly on Caucasian children. Objectives: To examine the prevalence of SCT and external correlates in a case study of four Latino children. Methods: A case study where parents completed questionnaires about their child’s behaviors. Results: Four out of thirteen respondents endorsed SCT symptoms for their child. Of the four children, one showed a cognitive, one a behavioral, and two a combined presentation. Two met the threshold for ADHD inattentive type. One showed moderate academic difficulty and two showed below average peer interactions. One met the threshold for generalized anxiety disorder, and two met the threshold for separation anxiety disorder. Sub-clinical symptoms of depression were endorsed for two of the children. Conclusion: The case sample provides support for further study of SCT including the heterogeneity of symptoms and two symptom clusters in a Latino population. SCT was seen across age, grade level, and gender and impacted several domains of functioning