Parent Versus Teacher Ratings of Sluggish Cognitive Tempo; Implications for Identifying Risk Among Children with ADHD for Poor Academic Achievement.

Introduction:   Sluggish Cognitive Tempo (SCT) is characterized by behaviors associated with pathological inattention, physical under arousal and slowed thinking often seen in children with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) (Becker, et al., 2016). There is increasing evidence that SCT makes up a separate set of symptom dimensions than any other DSM-5 diagnosis indicating that it leads to its own set of impairments separate from ADHD and all the subtypes (Barkley, 2013). Increasing evidence suggests SCT symptoms in children with ADHD are associated with lower academic achievement (Tamm, et al., 2016). It has been found that parents and teachers view the relationship between SCT impairments and academic functioning differently, thus examining this further is important (Watabe, et al., 2013). Objective: To determine if SCT related impairments are related to children’s ability to complete academic work and succeed in an academic environment