Diagnostic survey of dyslexia and accompanying behavioral indicators in primary school students in Saudi Arabia.
Saudi primary schools show a six percent dyslexia rate, with boys facing double the risk and sharper behavior ratings.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Aldakhil et al. (2023) visited third- to sixth-grade classrooms across Saudi Arabia. They gave short reading screens and behavior checklists to teachers and parents.
The team wanted to know how many of these children have dyslexia and whether boys and girls show different behavior patterns.
What they found
About six in every 100 students met the criteria for dyslexia. Boys were twice as likely to be identified as girls.
Teachers also rated boys with dyslexia as having more attention and behavior problems, and the gap grew in higher grades.
How this fits with other research
Zakopoulou et al. (2011) in Greece first mapped early warning signs of dyslexia in preschool. The Saudi data show those early signs do reach primary school at a similar rate, so the Greek model travels across cultures.
Woodman et al. (2025) report heavy stigma around ADHD and autism in Saudi schools. Fahad’s finding that dyslexic boys show more behavior problems may partly reflect this same stigma: teachers could be rating the same behaviors harsher when they know a boy struggles to read.
Madhesh et al. (2025) found deaf high-schoolers with more depression and anxiety also felt school life was worse. The pattern is the same—when a learning difference is linked to behavior or mood, school quality drops—so early reading screens could head off later stress.
Why it matters
If you screen reading in late elementary, you can catch about six percent of students—mostly boys—before behavior problems snowball. Pair the reading check with a quick teacher rating of attention and mood. When both flags pop up, start phonics intervention and classroom supports together; you may lower the risk of bigger emotional fallout later.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
BACKGROUND: Although dyslexia is the most common learning disorder in children, it has not received adequate attention in Saudi Arabia. AIMS: This study aimed at determining the prevalence of dyslexia among Saudi students in Grades 3-6, exploring associations between severity of dyslexia, its behavioral indicators, gender and grade, and the moderating role of grade in the relationship between severity and behavioral indicators. METHODS AND PROCEDURES: The sample consisted of 2848 female students and 2647 male students in Zulfi governorate, Saudi Arabia. A survey-based mixed-methods design was chosen including a structured interview with teachers and three assessments using the Diagnostic Assessment Scale for Dyslexia, the Arabic Reading Test, and the Dyslexia Behavioral Indicators Scale. OUTCOMES AND RESULTS: Dyslexia was assessed in 5.86 % of the total sample. It was twice as prevalent among male students as among female students (6.54 % and 3.83 %, respectively). The mean score for behavioral indicators of dyslexia was also significantly higher for male than for female students. The correlation between dyslexia severity and behavioral indicators score was high and significant, with grade level as a significant moderator. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: We found that, for children with dyslexia in Saudi Arabia, dyslexia was twice as prevalent among male students as among female students. Early dyslexia diagnosis and intervention services are suggested to reduce the risk for reading problems.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2023 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2023.104424