Discrete wavelet transform-driven optimized deep learning-based framework for dyslexia detection using EEG signals

Dyslexia is a prevalent neurodevelopmental disorder that impairs a children's ability to reading, writing, and language processing despite normal cognitive skills. Early identification is vital for timely support and interventions in children with dyslexia. This study aimed to develop an efficient EEG-based pipeline for dyslexia detection using deep learning techniques, while providing a consistent evaluation protocol for fair comparison across models and prior approaches.

EEG recordings were acquired from 51 participants (26: dyslexic and 25: non-dyslexic), aged 5-10 years, during cognitive task performance. These signals were processed, segmented, and decomposed into standard frequency bands (alpha, beta, delta, and theta) using the discrete wavelet transform to capture discriminative neural patterns. Filter-based feature selection techniques were applied before classification to optimize performance and reduce redundancy to identify the most informative features. These ranked and individual band-wise features were systematically evaluated with classical machine learning baselines (Decision Trees, SVM, k-NN, and ensemble learners) alongside the proposed deep neural networks. In addition, we benchmarked end-to-end raw-EEG deep learning baselines (1D-CNN, LSTM, and EEGNet) and re-implemented representative existing pipelines, all evaluated on our dataset using the same evaluation protocol.

The proposed compact deep neural network with four hidden layers achieved the best performance, reaching classification accuracy of 98.85%, outperforming all baseline models, raw-EEG deep learning baselines, and re-implemented approaches.

These findings support the feasibility of DWT-driven EEG analysis combined with deep learning for more accurate and early dyslexia detection. The proposed approach holds promise as a non-invasive screening tool to support improved educational outcomes through early diagnosis and targeted intervention.