Agreement between mother, father, and teacher ratings of cognitive disengagement syndrome (sluggish cognitive tempo) in children with autism and children with ADHD

No studies have analyzed differences between mother, father, and teacher ratings of cognitive disengagement syndrome (CDS) (formerly sluggish cognitive tempo). The sample included 1,115 children with autism and/or ADHD 4-16 years of age who were rated by mothers on the Pediatric Behavior Scale (PBS). Subsets of these children were also rated by fathers and/or teachers, resulting in 896 mother/father, 964 mother/teacher, and 745 father/teacher dyads. The CDS factor comprised four items assessing the core features of CDS: cognitive disengagement (in a fog/confused and stares/preoccupied/in own world) and hypoactivity (sluggish/slow moving/low energy and drowsy/sleepy/not alert). Overall, 37% of teachers, 22% of mothers, and 16% of fathers rated the children as significantly elevated on CDS symptoms. Teacher scores were significantly higher than mother scores, whose scores exceeded those of fathers. Agreement on whether a child had CDS was fair-moderate for mothers and fathers but poor for parents and teachers. Findings of more severe CDS teacher than parent ratings are in marked contrast to the opposite pattern found in studies of anxiety, depression, ADHD, oppositional behavior, conduct problems, autism, bullying, and victimization. Children may display fewer behavior problems at school than at home, and parents may be more aware of their child’s internal state than teachers. However, teachers may be more aware of the cognitive component of CDS that might interfere with functioning in the classroom more so than at home. Cognitive demands in school may reveal and intensify CDS symptoms. Findings highlight the importance of multi-informant ratings in research and clinical practice.

© American Psychological Association, 2023-06-29. This paper is not the copy of record and may not exactly replicate the authoritative document published in the APA journal. Please do not copy or cite without author's permission. The final article is available, upon publication, at: https://doi.org/10.1037/pas0001234

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Work Title Agreement between mother, father, and teacher ratings of cognitive disengagement syndrome (sluggish cognitive tempo) in children with autism and children with ADHD
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Open Access
Creators
  1. Susan D. Mayes
  2. Susan L. Calhoun
  3. Daniel A. Waschbusch
Keyword
  1. Cognitive disengagement syndrome
  2. Sluggish cognitive tempo
  3. Autism
  4. ADHD
  5. Informant discrepancies
License In Copyright (Rights Reserved)
Work Type Article
Publisher
  1. Psychological Assessment
Publication Date 2023
Publisher Identifier (DOI)
  1. https://doi.org/10.1037/pas0001234
Deposited December 01, 2023

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Version 1
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  • Created
  • Added Mayes_Calhoun__Waschbusch__2023_in_press__-_informants_of_CDS_SCT-1.pdf
  • Added Creator Peter J. Castagna
  • Added Creator Daniel A. Waschbusch
  • Published
  • Updated Work Title, Keyword, Publisher, and 4 more Show Changes
    Work Title
    • Multi-Informant Ratings of Childhood Limited Prosocial Emotions: Mother, Father, and Teacher Perspectives
    • Agreement between mother, father, and teacher ratings of cognitive disengagement syndrome (sluggish cognitive tempo) in children with autism and children with ADHD
    Keyword
    • cognitive disengagement syndrome, sluggish cognitive tempo, autism, ADHD, informant discrepancies
    Publisher
    • Journal of clinical child psychology
    • Psychological Assessment
    Publisher Identifier (DOI)
    • https://doi.org/10.1080/15374416.2022.2151452
    • https://doi.org/10.1037/pas0001234
    Description
    • Objective: Modest agreement between mothers’, fathers’, and teachers’ reports of child psychopathology can cause diagnostic ambiguity. Despite this, there is little research on informant perspectives of youth’s limited prosocial emotions (LPEs). We examined the relationship between mother-, father-, and teacher-reported LPE in a clinical sample of elementary school-aged children. Method: The sample included 207 primarily Caucasian (n = 175, 84.5%) children (136 boys; 65.7%) aged 6–13 years (M = 8.35, SD = 2.04) referred to an outpatient child diagnostic clinic focused on externalizing problems. We report the percentage of youth meeting LPE criteria as a function of informant perspective(s). Utilizing standard scores, we report distributions of informant dyads in agreement/disagreement regarding child LPE, followed up by polynomial regressions to further interrogate the relationship between mother-, father-, and teacher-reported LPE as it relates to conduct problems (CPs). Results: The prevalence of child LPE was approximately twice as large when compared to those reported in community samples; mothers and fathers generally agreed on their child’s LPE symptoms (55% agreement). Higher-order nonlinear interactions between mothers and fathers, as well as parents and teachers, emerged; discrepancies between informants, characterized by low levels of LPE reported by the child’s mother, were predictive of youth at the highest risk for CPs. Conclusions: Our findings emphasize the clinical utility of gathering multiple reports of LPE when serious CPs are suspected. It may be beneficial for clinicians to give significant consideration to teacher reported LPE when interpreting multiple-informant reports of LPE.
    • No studies have analyzed differences between mother, father, and teacher ratings of cognitive
    • disengagement syndrome (CDS) (formerly sluggish cognitive tempo). The sample included
    • 1,115 children with autism and/or ADHD 4-16 years of age who were rated by mothers on the
    • Pediatric Behavior Scale (PBS). Subsets of these children were also rated by fathers and/or
    • teachers, resulting in 896 mother/father, 964 mother/teacher, and 745 father/teacher dyads. The
    • CDS factor comprised four items assessing the core features of CDS: cognitive disengagement
    • (in a fog/confused and stares/preoccupied/in own world) and hypoactivity (sluggish/slow
    • moving/low energy and drowsy/sleepy/not alert). Overall, 37% of teachers, 22% of mothers, and
    • 16% of fathers rated the children as significantly elevated on CDS symptoms. Teacher scores
    • were significantly higher than mother scores, whose scores exceeded those of fathers. Agreement
    • on whether a child had CDS was fair-moderate for mothers and fathers but poor for parents and
    • teachers. Findings of more severe CDS teacher than parent ratings are in marked contrast to the
    • opposite pattern found in studies of anxiety, depression, ADHD, oppositional behavior, conduct
    • problems, autism, bullying, and victimization. Children may display fewer behavior problems at
    • school than at home, and parents may be more aware of their child’s internal state than teachers.
    • However, teachers may be more aware of the cognitive component of CDS that might interfere
    • with functioning in the classroom more so than at home. Cognitive demands in school may
    • reveal and intensify CDS symptoms. Findings highlight the importance of multi-informant
    • ratings in research and clinical practice.
    Publication Date
    • 2022-12-06
    • 2023
    Publisher's Statement
    • This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology on 2022-12-06, available online: https://www.tandfonline.com/10.1080/15374416.2022.2151452.
    • © American Psychological Association, 2023-06-29. This paper is not the copy of record and may not exactly replicate the authoritative document published in the APA journal. Please do not copy or cite without author's permission. The final article is available, upon publication, at: https://doi.org/10.1037/pas0001234
  • Deleted Creator Peter J. Castagna
  • Updated Creator Daniel A. Waschbusch
  • Added Creator Susan Dickerson Mayes
  • Added Creator Susan L Calhoun
  • Updated License, Description Show Changes
    License
    • https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
    • https://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/
    Description
    • No studies have analyzed differences between mother, father, and teacher ratings of cognitive
    • disengagement syndrome (CDS) (formerly sluggish cognitive tempo). The sample included
    • 1,115 children with autism and/or ADHD 4-16 years of age who were rated by mothers on the
    • Pediatric Behavior Scale (PBS). Subsets of these children were also rated by fathers and/or
    • teachers, resulting in 896 mother/father, 964 mother/teacher, and 745 father/teacher dyads. The
    • CDS factor comprised four items assessing the core features of CDS: cognitive disengagement
    • (in a fog/confused and stares/preoccupied/in own world) and hypoactivity (sluggish/slow
    • moving/low energy and drowsy/sleepy/not alert). Overall, 37% of teachers, 22% of mothers, and
    • 16% of fathers rated the children as significantly elevated on CDS symptoms. Teacher scores
    • were significantly higher than mother scores, whose scores exceeded those of fathers. Agreement
    • on whether a child had CDS was fair-moderate for mothers and fathers but poor for parents and
    • teachers. Findings of more severe CDS teacher than parent ratings are in marked contrast to the
    • opposite pattern found in studies of anxiety, depression, ADHD, oppositional behavior, conduct
    • problems, autism, bullying, and victimization. Children may display fewer behavior problems at
    • school than at home, and parents may be more aware of their child’s internal state than teachers.
    • However, teachers may be more aware of the cognitive component of CDS that might interfere
    • with functioning in the classroom more so than at home. Cognitive demands in school may
    • reveal and intensify CDS symptoms. Findings highlight the importance of multi-informant
    • ratings in research and clinical practice.
    • No studies have analyzed differences between mother, father, and teacher ratings of cognitive disengagement syndrome (CDS) (formerly sluggish cognitive tempo). The sample included 1,115 children with autism and/or ADHD 4-16 years of age who were rated by mothers on the Pediatric Behavior Scale (PBS). Subsets of these children were also rated by fathers and/or teachers, resulting in 896 mother/father, 964 mother/teacher, and 745 father/teacher dyads. The CDS factor comprised four items assessing the core features of CDS: cognitive disengagement (in a fog/confused and stares/preoccupied/in own world) and hypoactivity (sluggish/slow moving/low energy and drowsy/sleepy/not alert). Overall, 37% of teachers, 22% of mothers, and 16% of fathers rated the children as significantly elevated on CDS symptoms. Teacher scores were significantly higher than mother scores, whose scores exceeded those of fathers. Agreement on whether a child had CDS was fair-moderate for mothers and fathers but poor for parents and teachers. Findings of more severe CDS teacher than parent ratings are in marked contrast to the opposite pattern found in studies of anxiety, depression, ADHD, oppositional behavior, conduct problems, autism, bullying, and victimization. Children may display fewer behavior problems at school than at home, and parents may be more aware of their child’s internal state than teachers. However, teachers may be more aware of the cognitive component of CDS that might interfere with functioning in the classroom more so than at home. Cognitive demands in school may reveal and intensify CDS symptoms. Findings highlight the importance of multi-informant ratings in research and clinical practice.
  • Updated Keyword Show Changes
    Keyword
    • cognitive disengagement syndrome, sluggish cognitive tempo, autism, ADHD, informant discrepancies
    • Cognitive disengagement syndrome, Sluggish cognitive tempo, Autism, ADHD, Informant discrepancies
  • Renamed Creator Susan D. Mayes Show Changes
    • Susan Dickerson Mayes
    • Susan D. Mayes
  • Renamed Creator Susan L. Calhoun Show Changes
    • Susan L Calhoun
    • Susan L. Calhoun
  • Updated