Diagnosis of dyslexic disorders and identification of factors associated with reading learning disabilities within the Moroccan context

Abstract

Reading acquisition disorders constitute the main problem in children's learning. in Morocco, epidemiological data are very rare. Research, mainly in the English language, concerns either the sociological or the cognitive field. Few studies, among them not one in Arabic, have explored the link relating to social and cognitive factors. The purpose of our work is to study and analyze the cognitive and social variables related to different reading skills among Moroccan pupils in primary and secondary public schools. From a sample of 754 learners (388 boys and 366 girls) ranging in age from 9 to 15 years with an average of 11.59 years, the diagnostic tests identified 145 students with deficient skills "Bad readers (BR)," 128 suspected of being in difficulty classified as « intermediate level (IL) » and a group of 481 children as good readers ( GR). Statistical analyses have shown that the first two groups (BR and IL) represent 24% in the favoured areas compared to 43% in the disadvantaged. The analysis of scores and the nature of the errors made on various reading tests show that 41 students, or 5.43% of our sample, present a dyslexia profile. 13 (1.72%) of whom have very severe difficulties. The phonological aptitudes (Rapid automatized naming, phonological short-time memory and especially phonological awareness) mainly reflect the level of reading. These phonological abilities are highly influenced by early attendance of preschool and by the degree of exposure to written language at home. These data, which are unique in Morocco, are consistent to that of the published subject literature. They make it possible to plan preventive actions by generalizing pre-school teaching, particularly in precarious environments. These actions should be based on playful exercises aimed at improving phonological abilities at an early age, while exploiting the brain sensitivity to reading at that age. Phonological awareness and rapid naming are the most implicated factors in the disparity of reading skills. These abilities are highly influenced by the integration of preschool at a very early age and by the degree of exposure to written language activities. Therefore, there is a need to plan preventive actions, based on playful exercises, aiming to improve phonological skills from the pre-school period

Mental health among students with neurodevelopment disorders: case of dyslexic children and adolescents

“…The profile of dyslexia has been identified by analyzing the nature and frequency of errors made by the student, the protocol is the same as the one applied in our previous study focused on the diagnosis of dyslexic disorders in Arabic-speaking Moroccan children. 20 In some cases, school performance and teachers’ reports also helped us to easily target children with major reading difficulties to approach the diagnostic test for dyslexia. Students from both groups were paired, to the possible limits, on age and socioeconomic status of the parents.…”

“…In the absence of the data based on the larger cohorts of children such as those in Anglophone and Francophone settings, a recent study that was conducted with a relatively large sample of elementary-and middle school students showed that the prevalence of dyslexia was 5.4%. 20 The lack of knowledge of dyslexia, by those involved in the field of education and health, in Moroccan schools, makes it necessary to question the emotional well-being of children with this cognitive disability. In this context, our study aims, on the one hand, to assess the level of anxiety, depression, and self-esteem in dyslexic students by comparing them to their peers without dyslexia and, on the other hand, the analysis of correlations between the three indicators in the two groups of students.…”

“…In the absence of the data based on the larger cohorts of children such as those in Anglophone and Francophone settings, a recent study that was conducted with a relatively large sample of elementary- and middle school students showed that the prevalence of dyslexia was 5.4%. 20 …”

Training program on developing reading skills in the english language among students with learning difficulties

“…However, students performed better after receiving the treatment in comparison to their previous levels. Ihbour, Hnini, Anarghou, Ahami, Chigr, and Najimi (2019)…”

Training program on developing reading skills in the english language among students with learning difficulties

“…However, students performed better after receiving the treatment in comparison to their previous levels. Ihbour, Hnini, Anarghou, Ahami, Chigr, and Najimi (2019) found the effectiveness of the three methods of coaching. However, coaching by using technology proved to be more effective, reducing time and resourceful for teachers.…”