Reading disabilities in Arabic-speaking learners: A comprehensive systematic review of screening tests and challenges ahead

Reading disorders remain a major educational challenge, affecting many children worldwide, including Arabic-speaking learners. Early and reliable screening is essential for timely pedagogical interventions and improved academic outcomes. This systematic review, conducted under PRISMA guidelines, analyzed studies published between 2018 and 2025 in Scopus and PubMed to identify screening tools used in Arabic-speaking contexts. The review highlights the unique interaction of linguistic, neurocognitive, and pedagogical factors in Arabic—a language marked by rich morphology, complex orthography, and diglossia. Key findings show that phonological awareness (PA), rapid automatized naming (RAN), phonological fluency, and short-term verbal memory are the most common screening tools, with the PA+RAN “double-deficit model” emerging as a core marker of dyslexia. Some tools show strong psychometric reliability (e.g., RAN, Cronbach’s α = 0.85). Innovative approaches, including AI and virtual reality, are being explored to enhance diagnostic precision. Nonetheless, challenges persist, notably script direction, morphological complexity, dialect variation, and unequal access to technology. Regional efforts, such as Morocco’s context-specific screening battery, mark promising progress. This review advocates for culturally adapted, multidimensional, and flexible screening approaches to ensure accurate and inclusive identification of reading disorders among Arabic-speaking learners.