Overselectivity during reading-related tasks for children at risk for reading failure

Stimulus overselectivity is defined as a learner’s performance coming under the control of a subset of elements in a compound stimulus. Research in this area has frequently included individuals with autism spectrum disorder, although overselectivity has also been shown in children and adults without developmental disabilities. In educational settings, textual stimuli serve as academically relevant compound stimuli made up of several elements (i.e., letters). The current study sought to identify potential overselective performances by five children at risk for reading failure when presented with 1-, 2-, or 3-element compound stimuli in a delayed matching-to-sample task. Stimuli were academically relevant targets presented in auditory (i.e., letter sounds or names) or visual (i.e., printed letters) modalities. Overall, stimulus overselectivity was more common during visual tasks and tasks that included compounds with three elements. These findings may inform interventions intended to remediate or prevent overselective performances in academic settings.