Sluggish cognitive tempo: An examination of clinical correlates for adults with autism.
Alexis M Brewe, Grace Lee Simmons, Nicole N Capriola-Hall and 1 others
PMID 32028780WHAT IT FOUND
In young adults with autism, sluggish cognitive tempo symptoms strongly predicted depression but not anxiety.
These symptoms were distinct from ADHD hyperactivity but linked to ADHD inattention. Sluggishness predicted poorer performance on complex executive function tasks requiring verbal explanation, but not simpler sorting tasks.
Key findings
01Sluggish cognitive tempo symptoms significantly predicted depression symptoms in both parent and self-reports, even after controlling for ADHD.
02Sluggish cognitive tempo symptoms did not significantly predict anxiety symptoms in either parent or self-reports.
03Sluggish cognitive tempo symptoms predicted poorer performance on a complex executive function task requiring verbal explanation of sorting strategies, but not on a simpler sorting task.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
Small sample size (57 participants). Sample was predominantly Caucasian male college students with average or higher IQ, limiting generalizability to other autistic adults. Cross-sectional design prevents determining if SCT causes depression or vice versa. Use of the same questionnaire family (ASEBA) for multiple constructs may introduce method bias. Executive function measure was broad and did not isolate specific cognitive domains.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. The study was supported by the National Institute of Mental Health.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume sluggish cognitive tempo is simply a subtype of ADHD or anxiety. The study found it was distinct from hyperactivity and unrelated to anxiety, but strongly linked to depression and specific complex executive function deficits.