ADHD and Sluggish Cognitive Tempo: Comparing Executive Functioning Response Patterns

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to describe and compare the specific profiles of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Sluggish Cognitive Tempo (SCT) through the Hybrid Model of Executive Functioning (HMEF). The total sample of 1049 subjects, aged 6 to 18 years (M = 10.75; SD = 3.20), were classified into a non-pathologic group, an ADHD group and an SCT group, and assessed using the short version of the Barkley Deficit in Executive Functions Scale for Children and Adolescents (BDEFS-CA). The results revealed significant differences between the three groups in all executive domains (non-pathologic < SCT < ADHD). While the ADHD group demonstrated a consistently high profile of difficulties in each subscale, the SCT group showed an irregular profile of difficulties, with middle and low scores, depending on the executive function. Although the SCT group’s score was far away from the ADHD group’s score for Self-Motivation, Emotions Self-Regulation and Self-Restraint and Inhibition, the two groups’ scores were very close for Time Self-Management and Self-Organization and Problem Solving. Accordingly, through logistic regression analyses, the SCT group was exclusively related to these last two executive domains; however, the ADHD group was strongly associated with almost every executive function. The findings suggest that the short version of the BDEFS-CA discriminates between both disorders, supporting psycho-pedagogical assessment and differential diagnosis.