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ADHD Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorders

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01-06-2017 | Original Article

Pre-service teachers’ perceptions of sluggish cognitive tempo

Authors: Rachel E. Meisinger, Elizabeth K. Lefler

Published in: ADHD Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorders | Issue 2/2017

Abstract

Sluggish cognitive tempo (SCT) is characterized by a passive form of inattention that may not overtly disrupt classroom goals. Due to the nature of these symptoms, children with SCT may be “falling through the cracks” in schools. The current study examined pre-service teachers’ perceptions of SCT in the classroom. Undergraduate education majors (n = 161) read vignettes describing fictitious fourth-grade boys presenting with symptoms of SCT, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), or a non-ADHD-related control: social anxiety disorder (SA), and rated each of the vignettes in terms of their perceptions of the boy described. Results were analyzed using repeated measures ANOVAs and paired-sample t tests. Pre-service teachers viewed all three sets of symptoms as concerning, but viewed ADHD behaviors as the most problematic. These results are promising, as they suggest that pre-service teachers are concerned about both hyperactive (i.e., ADHD) and non-hyperactive behavioral problems (i.e., SCT and SA). Implications and future directions are discussed.

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Title: Pre-service teachers’ perceptions of sluggish cognitive tempo
Authors: Rachel E. Meisinger
Elizabeth K. Lefler
Publication date: 01-06-2017
Publisher: Springer Vienna
Published in: ADHD Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorders / Issue 2/2017
Print ISSN: 1866-6116
Electronic ISSN: 1866-6647
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12402-016-0207-4

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Pre-service teachers’ perceptions of sluggish cognitive tempo

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