A Dyscalculia Diagnostic Battery for Moroccan Children: Development and Preliminary Validity Evidence

Abstract

Developmental dyscalculia affects 3–7% of school-aged children, yet no validated diagnostic instrument exists for Arabic-speaking North African populations. This study developed a domain-specific battery for screening developmental dyscalculia in Moroccan fourth-grade children and assembled initial validity evidence for its score interpretations and intended use as a screening component within a broader multifactorial evaluation, rather than as a stand-alone diagnostic tool. The 79-item battery, assessing nine domains, was administered to 128 typically developing children and 32 children with an independent DSM-5 diagnosis of dyscalculia. Validity evidence was examined across three sources: internal structure, relations with nonverbal cognitive ability, and consequences for the intended use, together with test-retest stability. The battery showed good internal consistency (α = .76 to .79), a provisional two-factor structure, large group differences (Cohen’s d = 1.60) robust to age, and excellent diagnostic accuracy (AUC = .927). These findings provide initial support for its use for early identification in Arabic-speaking contexts.