Volume 4, 2026 – Issue 2
Designing a Digital ADHD Screening Tool for Moroccan Kindergartens: Inclusive Early Education and Social Change
Oualae Hamzaoui 
1 * and Isam Mrah 2
Department of English Studies, Faculty of Letters and Human Sciences, Mohammed I University, Oujda, Morocco
* Corresponding author: hamzaoui.oualae24@ump.ac.ma
DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.20576008
Abstract
Inclusive early childhood education in Morocco has emerged as a national policy priority; however, practical mechanisms for identifying neurodevelopmental conditions such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) remain largely absent from kindergarten settings. This study reports on the design and initial feasibility testing of a digital ADHD screening tool co-developed with Moroccan preschool teachers, grounded in the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL), inclusive pedagogy, and Design-Based Research (DBR). An online survey was distributed to hundreds of teachers across multiple Moroccan regions over several months, yielding 15 responses. The low response rate is itself a finding, reflecting systemic challenges of teacher engagement with ADHD-related discourse. Among respondents, ADHD-like behaviors were observed regularly: difficulty following instructions (M = 2.67), inattention (M = 2.53), and hyperactivity (M = 2.33) on a 0–4 scale. Only five teachers (33%) had ever used structured observation tools, and more than half reported no institutional referral or support mechanisms. Nevertheless, 14 of 15 teachers expressed willingness or potential willingness to adopt a digital tool, prioritizing multilingual accessibility (Arabic, French, and Darija), printable reports, and actionable pedagogical guidance. The findings demonstrate an urgent need for culturally adapted, teacher-centered digital resources capable of bridging the persistent gap between inclusive education policy and classroom practice in Morocco.
Keywords: ADHD, inclusive education, digital tools, early childhood, Morocco
Published
2026/06/01
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Section
Research Papers
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About the authors
- Oualae Hamzaoui is a PhD researcher in Educational Psychology (Inclusive and Special Education) and an adjunct professor. She is a doctoral candidate in the Department of English Studies at the Faculty of Letters and Humanities, Oujda (FLSHO), affiliated with the CEDUC Laboratory. Her research focuses on inclusive early education, ADHD, and teacher-centered approaches, including the development of KINDI, a digital tool designed to support early educational screening in kindergarten settings. She holds a Master’s degree in Language, Communication, and Society, and her work draws on psychoeducation, neuro, and psycholinguistics to promote inclusive learning environments
oualae.hamzaoui@ump.ac.ma ↩︎ - Isam Mrah is an associate professor of English studies at the Faculty of Letters and Human Sciences, Oujda. His research interests include, but are not limited to, innovative pedagogies, digital transformation in higher education, and soft skill development.
isam.mrah@ump.ac.ma ↩︎
