Barkley Sluggish Cognitive Tempo Scale--Children and Adolescents (BSCTS-CA)

Sluggish cognitive tempo (SCT) is increasingly recognized as a valid attention disorder distinct from attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. The culmination of more than 10 years of research and development, the Barkley Sluggish Cognitive Tempo Scale–Children and Adolescents (BSCTS-CA) is the first empirically based, norm-referenced tool designed to assess SCT symptoms (for example, chronic daydreaming, inability to focus, and lethargy) in the daily life activities of 6- to 17-year-olds. The scale typically takes a parent less than 5 minutes to complete. Detailed instructions for scoring and interpretation are provided. Also included is a clinical interview form based on the rating scale, for use in unusual circumstances where a parent is unable to fill out a rating scale.

QUICK VIEW:
What does it do?: Assesses concentration deficits in the daily life activities of children and adolescents.
Age Range: 6–17.
Administration Time: Less than 5 minutes.
Format: Parent-report rating scale.
Cost of Additional Forms: No cost--purchasers get permission to reproduce the forms and score sheets for repeated use.

See also the Barkley Deficits in Executive Functioning Scale--Children and Adolescents (BDEFS-CA) and the Barkley Functional Impairment Scale--Children and Adolescents (BFIS-CA).

Includes Permission to Photocopy
Enhancing the convenience and value of the BSCTS-CA, the limited photocopy license allows purchasers to reproduce the forms and score sheets and yields considerable cost savings over other available scales. The large format and sturdy wire binding facilitate photocopying.

Age Range: 6–17

Forms and Profiles
BSCTS-CA Parent Rating Scale
BSCTS-CA Parent Interview
BSCTS-CA SCT Profile (Ages 6–11, Males Only)
BSCTS-CA SCT Profile (Ages 6–11, Females Only)
BSCTS-CA SCT Profile (Ages 12–17, Males Only)
BSCTS-CA SCT Profile (Ages 12–17, Females Only)

Russell A. Barkley, PhD, ABPP, ABCN, is Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the Virginia Treatment Center for Children and Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine. Dr. Barkley has worked with children, adolescents, and families since the 1970s and is the author of numerous bestselling books for both professionals and the public, including Taking Charge of ADHD and Your Defiant Child. He has also published six assessment scales and more than 280 scientific articles and book chapters on ADHD, executive functioning, and childhood defiance, and is editor of the newsletter The ADHD Report. A frequent conference presenter and speaker who is widely cited in the national media, Dr. Barkley is past president of the Section on Clinical Child Psychology (the former Division 12) of the American Psychological Association (APA), and of the International Society for Research in Child and Adolescent Psychopathology. He is a recipient of awards from the American Academy of Pediatrics and the APA, among other honors. His website is www.russellbarkley.org.  
 

1. A Review of Research on SCT
2. Scale Development, Survey Methods, and Normative Sample
3. Factor Analysis, Scale Construction, and Item Frequencies
4. Relationship of SCT Scores to Demographic Factors in the Normative Sample
5. Reliability
6. Validity
7. Relationships of BSCTS-CA Scores to Impairment
8. Scoring and Interpretation of the BSCTS-CA Forms
Appendix: BSCTS-CA Forms and SCT Profiles
BSCTS-CA Parent Rating Scale
BSCTS-CA Parent Interview
BSCTS-CA SCT Profile (Ages 6–11, Males Only)
BSCTS-CA SCT Profile (Ages 6–11, Females Only)
BSCTS-CA SCT Profile (Ages 12–17, Males Only)
BSCTS-CA SCT Profile (Ages 12–17, Females Only)
References