Basic Student Information
Tonya is an 8-year-old girl who is currently attending a local public elementary school. She has a diagnosis of
autism and has been receiving educational services for autism since early childhood. Tonya enjoys listening to
music on headphones and drawing pictures. Tonya has limited verbal language, some echolalia, and generally uses
gestures to communicate her wants and needs. She is learning to use a picture communication system to express
her wants and needs, but is still in the early phases. Tonya does have some behavioral problems, especially
surrounding the relinquishment of preferred items or the ending of preferred activities. Connectedly, teachers are
only able to maintain instructional control by using high-preference reinforcers at a high rate. Her teachers and
parents have decided to use the VB-MAPP to identify her current language functioning levels and to track her
progress over time. Below are the results of her first VB-MAPP.
1.One of the nice things about this assessment is the visual nature of the assessment results. What level is Tonya
currently functioning at? What do we expect with typical development of these skills? How is Tonya’s
development different?
2. In your opinion, what is the biggest area of weakness for Tonya? What is the corresponding developmental age
that this level is associated with? In layman’s terms, describe what skills are assessed in this area (use the VBMAPP
subtest information and the Verbal Behavior Glossary to assist you).
