What is the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule – Second Edition (ADOS-2)?

The Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS) is a semi-structured, standardised assessment of communication, social interaction, and play. It provides a series of standardised contexts in which the child’s social, communication and repetitive, stereotyped behaviours can be observed. It has been designed to assist in the diagnosis of autism and pervasive developmental disorders and is suggested as a complementary instrument to the ADI-R. Standardised toys and activities are used to present opportunities for social and communicative interaction with the examiner.

Who can participate in training workshops?

The ADOS-2 is intended for use by both clinicians and researchers working with individuals with autism. The Introductory ADOS-2 workshop is designed for psychologists, paediatricians, psychiatrists, speech pathologists, and occupational therapists. Researchers and doctoral students who have experience in standardised assessment measures are also able to attend this training workshop.

Introduction to the ADOS-2 Workshop (Modules 1 – 4)

The Introduction to the ADOS-2 workshop is a two day course intended for clinicians and researchers interested in using the ADOS-2 in their work with individuals with autism. It provides an introduction to the ADOS-2 as an assessment tool, and is a first step in the process for establishing reliability. The course consists of a mixture of group lecture, demonstration, and scoring, as well as videos of live administrations of the ADOS-2. To participate in this workshop you will need to have an established understanding of autism symptomatology as well as access to an ADOS kit.

This workshop does not provide training in the ADOS-2 Toddler module.