What's the difference?

According to Russell Barkley, PhD, one of what seems to be a very small pool of ADHD researchers looking seriously at this condition, Sluggish Cognitive Tempo is present in 30 to 50% of those who have the inattentive subtype of ADHD. So not all those with inattentive ADHD will have SCT. Nor will all those with SCT meet the criteria for inattentive ADHD. To confuse things even more, at least one study has found that SCT correlates with overall inattentiveness in kids, regardless of the ADHD subtype they are diagnosed with (e.g., predominantly hyperactive-impusive, predominantly inattentive, or combined type).

Experts have gone back and forth on whether SCT is a subtype of ADHD type I (in other words, a subtype of a subtype) or its own disorder. But it seems reasonable to speculate that both of these could be true. SCT is really just a descriptive phrase for a certain set of day-to-day symptoms or challenges.

Here are some differences that researchers like Barkley have found to date:

~ Information processing with SCT is slower and can be more error prone than with inattentive ADHD without SCT.

~ SCT correlates with a higher risk of anxiety problems than with inattentive ADHD without SCT, and possibly a higher risk of depression.

~ ADHD stimulant medications tend to be less effective for those with SCT, but behavioral therapies possibly more effective.

~ Those with SCT can get along with others but are often socially withdrawn.

~ High levels of SCT are found in kids diagnosed with both ADHD and an anxiety disorder.