Abstract
Children are frequently exposed to a range of experiences that presumably produce improvements in later reading. Shared storybook reading is commonly prescribed for emerging readers. Subsequent opportunities for the learner to read the same book might appear to produce fluent reading; however, due to the invariant presentation of several possible controlling stimuli (e.g., text, illustrations, and story sequence), unintended sources of control are possible or even likely. The current study evaluated the development of stimulus control topographies following picture-book reading by six children exhibiting reading deficits. Participants read two picture books daily. For one book, participants first viewed a model of the book being read. A second book was read daily without a model. The order of the books varied across days. Participants exhibited improvements in fluency in both conditions. Participants’ performance on subsequent stimulus control assessments suggested that responding had come under tact, rather than textual or intraverbal, control. These findings have implications for reading interventions and recommended practices for the home literacy environment.