Designing a computer-based neuro-cognitive program for measurement and evaluation of working memory to screen children at risk for reading disorder

Reading disorder or dyslexia is the best known disorder, among specific learning disorders, with neuro-biological origin. This disorder is related to learning difficulties despite normal intelligence and proper instructions at home and school. Delay in identification and intervention of dyslexia will affect the person's future. The aim of the present study was designing a neuro-cognitive program for measurement and evaluation of working memory, in order to screen and detect preschoolers with different function in the early stages.
The neuro-cognitive program was designed with C-Sharp software based on neuro-cognitive theories, especially information processing theory. To define the output or making the intelligent program, the data and functions of the children with definite diagnosis, dyslexia or without the disorder, were needed. Thus, a total of 256 children were selected with cluster random sampling method and their scores and data from task performance were recorded and saved. The children were followed for two years. At the end of the second grade of elementary school, the data from 237 children was used to define the output and making the intelligent program.
The results showed that the designed computer-based neuro-cognitive program has the acceptable validity in accordance with the specialists’ opinion and also, the reliability of the program, with the significance level of 0.05, is 0.87 and 0.91 for visual and auditory working memories, respectively. The validity of the program reached 0.68 and 0.78 for visual and auditory working memory, with the significance level of 0.001
The designed neuro-cognitive program is a valid instrument for measurement and evaluation of working memory in preschoolers. It can be used as a screening tool for early detection of children at the risk of dyslexia.