Racha Zebib

Tél

0247366684

Mail

racha.zebib@univ-tours.fr

Sciences du langage : linguistique et phonétique générales

TEACHING
• BA level in Linguistics (Tours): Written language acquisition and disorders, Writing systems and orthographies,

• MA level in Linguistics (Tours): Language and cognition, Introduction to research Methodology

• School of Speech and Language Pathology (Tours): New evidence on atypical language acquisition, Written language acquisition and disorders, Writing systems and orthographies, Language processing, Language and cognition, Applied statistics, Morphology

MA level in Speech and Language Pathology (Beirut): New evidence on atypical language acquisition

 

RESEARCH TOPICS

My research focuses on oral and written language acquisition in typically developing children and in children with disorders (Speech Sound and Language Disorders, learning disorders, ASD). I am particularly interested in the language-cognition interface and in language assessment tool development.

ONGOING RESEARCH PROJECT

PRESAD : Predictors of REading and Spelling Acquisition and Disorders in children with or without developmental language disorder (ANR-23-CE28-0007, PI : R. ZEBIB)

Abstract : 

The PRESAD project is a collaborative research project funded by the French National Research Agency (ANR) and conducted in partnership with researchers from the University of Nantes and the University of Lille.

The project consists of a 54-month longitudinal study designed to investigate early predictors of written language development. A cohort of approximately 900 typically developing children will be assessed at three key stages of early schooling: the final year of preschool (Grande Section), first grade (CP), and second grade (CE1).

During preschool, an extensive assessment protocol will be administered, including measures of oral language abilities, other cognitive skills, fine motor skills, and risk factors for oral and written language difficulties. These data will be used to identify factors that predict later performance in written language.

Predictors of written language outcomes will be examined both cross-sectionally and longitudinally across the entire sample, as well as within the subgroup of children identified with Developmental Language Disorder (DLD). Unlike many existing studies, children with DLD will be identified within the community sample rather than through clinical recruitment, thereby reducing potential recruitment bias.

The project will also investigate developmental profiles and trajectories in order to develop explanatory models of written language difficulties and to better understand the relationship between DLD and written language disorders.

Ultimately, the findings will contribute to the development of evidence-based recommendations for educational practice and for speech and language therapy.

Selected Publications
 

Zebib, R. & El Akiki, C. (2025). Reading in autism. In Novogrodsky, R., Perovic, A., Prévost, P., Schaeffer, J. & Tuller, L. (eds.). Language in Autism. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley-Blackwell.

Schaeffer, J., Abd El-Raziq, M., Castroviejo, E., Durrleman, S., Ferré, S., Grama, I., Hendriks, P., Kissine, M., Manenti, M., Marinis, T., Meir, N., Novogrodsky, R., Perovic, A., Panzeri, F., Silleresi, S., Sukenik, N., Vicente, A., Zebib, R., Prévost, P., & Tuller, L. (2023). Language in autism: domains, profiles and co-occurring conditions. Journal of neural transmission, 10.1007/s00702-023-02592-y. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00702-023-02592-y

Zebib, R., Tuller, L., Hamann, C., Abed Ibrahim, L., & Prévost, P. (2020). Syntactic complexity and verbal working memory in bilingual children with and without Developmental Language Disorder. First Language, 40(4), 461–484. https://doi.org/10.1177/0142723719888372

Zebib, R., Prévost, P., Tuller, L. & Henry, G. (eds.) (2020). Plurilinguisme et Troubles Spécifiques du Langage au Liban. Beyrouth : Presses universitaires de l’Université Saint Joseph. https://www.usj.edu.lb/publications/catalogue/fiche.htm?id=O2970

Zebib, R., Henry, G., Messarra, C. Kouba Hreich, E. & Khomsi, A. (2019). ELO-L: A Norm-Referenced Language Screening Test for 3- to 8-Year-Old Lebanese Children. Arab Journal of Applied Linguistics, 4(2), pp. 24-53. http://hdl.handle.net/2268/265644

Tuller, L. , Hamann, C. , Chilla, S. , Ferré, S. , Morin, E. , Prevost, P. , dos Santos, C. , Abed Ibrahim, L. and Zebib, R. (2018), Identifying language impairment in bilingual children in France and in Germany. International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders. doi:10.1111/1460-6984.12397

Fleckstein, A., Prévost, P., Tuller, L., Sizaret, E. & Zebib, R. (2018) How to identify SLI in bilingual children: A study on sentence repetition in French, Language Acquisition, 25:1, 85-101, DOI: 10.1080/10489223.2016.1192635.

Zebib, R., Henri, G., Khomsi, A., Messarra, C., Hreich, E. (2017). Batterie d’Evaluation du Langage Oral chez l’enfant libanais (ELO-L). Beirut: Pearson - Liban Tests Editions.

Tuller, L, Abboud, L, Ferré, S, Fleckstein, A, Prévost, P, dos Santos, C, Scheidnes, M & Zebib, R (2015). Specific language impairment and bilingualism: Assembling the pieces. In Hamann, C & E Ruigendijk (eds), Language acquisition and development. Cambridge Scholars Pub.

RESEARCH GRANTS 
 

• 2023-2027: ANR, Language Abilities of Bilingual Children with ASD (LABA) (369 440€), Member (PI : P. Prévost (UMR 1253, iBrain, Inserm), Co-PI : U. Etxeberria (UMR 5478 IKER, CNRS)
• 2022-2026: ANR, Individual neurophysiological SENSoRY profiles in AUtism (SensAUry) (529 400€), Member (PI: C. Wadack (UMR 1253 iBrain, Inserm), Co-PIs: F. Bonnet-Brilhaut & T. Iuculano
• 2017-2018: Hubert Curien partnership grant (van Gogh program), Linguistic and cognitive abilities of French- and Dutch-acquiring children with autism spectrum disorder (3 700€), Member (PI: J. Schaeffer, Univ of Amsterdam; Co-PI: P. Prévost, UMR 1253, iBrain, Inserm)
• 2016-2020: Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research Internationalization in the Humanities Grant, Language Abilities in Children with Autism (LACA), Member (PI: J. Schaeffer, University of Amsterdam)
• 2013-2016: French-German project in Human science (ANR/DFG), Bilingual language development: Typically developing children and children with language impairment (BilAD) (176 877€), Member (PI: L. Tuller, UMR 1253, iBrain, Inserm; Co-PI: C. Hamann, Univ. of Oldenburg).
• 2010-2012: France-Lebanon Cooperation Program for Research Evaluation and Development (CEDRE), Identification of specific language impairment in multilingual contexts (20 000€), Member (PI: L. Tuller; Co-PI: C. Messara, St Joseph Univ., Beirut)

• 2009-2016: French-Lebanese project (Saint-Joseph University fund), ELO-L: Evaluation du Langage Oral chez l’enfant Libanais (Test battery for the assessment of oral language in Lebanese children), Leading Member (PI: C. Messara, St Joseph Univ., Beirut)
• 2009-2013: COST (European Cooperation in the field of Scientific and Technical Research) Action IS0804 Language Impairment in a Multilingual Society: Linguistic Patterns and the Road to Assessment, WG Member (PI: S. Armon-Lotem, Bar Ilan Univ.)
• 2009-2012 ANR (BLAN 08-3-311192), Complexity and compensation in atypical language acquisition: A comparative approach (CAAL) (115 000 €), Member (PI: L. Tuller)
 

ADMINISTRATIVE RESPONSABILITIES
• 2024-2026 & 2016-2018: Co-chair of the department of Linguistics, University of Tours
• 2020-2023 : Elected member of the ‘Education and university life board’ and of the academic council of the University of Tours

• 2018-2020: Vice-dean of the Faculty of Languages and literature, University of Tours.