The assessment is divided into , and the manual provides specific instructions for selecting the correct one based on an individual’s chronological age and expressive language level: National Institutes of Health (.gov)
The core of the manual is the administration instructions. Unlike a rigid IQ test where every instruction must be read verbatim, the ADOS-2 is semi-structured. This requires a high degree of clinical skill. The manual instructs the examiner on how to create "presses"—opportunities for the subject to exhibit a behavior. Ados 2 Manual
: Captures stereotyped interests and repetitive sensory-motor behaviors . Calibrated Severity Scores (CSS) The assessment is divided into , and the
The manual cross-references the . A high score on the ADOS-2 (direct observation) combined with a high score on the ADI-R (parent/self interview) yields the highest diagnostic validity. The manual provides guidance on how to resolve discrepancies (e.g., high ADOS but low ADI-R – potential masking or high functioning anxiety; low ADOS but high ADI-R – potential other neurodevelopmental disorders or situational mutism). The manual instructs the examiner on how to
She opened Module 3, for fluent speech. Page 17, the “Missing Relatives” task. The manual said: Ask the participant to name three people close to them. Then ask what would happen if that person were lost in the mall. Standard. Clinical. But Lena had learned that beneath the sterile instructions lived a kind of poetry.
For example, in Module 3, the "Description of a Picture" activity requires a specific, boring, black-and-white line drawing of a farm scene. If an examiner substitutes a colorful, engaging animation, they have invalidated the press. The manual explicitly states that the standardized stressor is boredom and ambiguity . A colorful picture would not evoke the same lack of spontaneous elaboration seen in ASD.