This would be false. Atonal breathing is actually quite easy to see, as they appear to look like severely abnormal gasps with little to no chest rise and fall.
Usually seen with patients rapidly going into fatal shock or are in Cardiac Arrest, atonal breathing actually is the brainstems attempt to get oxygen into the bloodstream, although something is hindering absorption of oxygen into the bloodstream or the blood isn't circulating. Agonal gasping is a very good indication of patient who are critical and are in as said before in Cardiac Arrest, have aspirated, or are in shock.