Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS2) for the Clinical Setting

This course is designed for healthcare professionals who conduct autism assessments on a regular basis.  Accredited psychologists, physicians (including psychiatrists, paediatricians, and neurologists),  speech and language therapists, and occupational therapists may also take the course.  Specialists will use the ADOS-2 to make recommendations informing medical diagnoses, special education classification, and treatment planning. We recommend that you have access to an ADOS kit and manual prior to taking the course so that you can familiarise yourself with the course materials in advance.

ADOS-2 also includes a toddler module which is designed for very young children who do not use phrase speech between the ages of 12-30 months. The toddler module has its own algorithms that provide ‘ranges of concern’ instead of cut-off scores.

The online course is structured around three components:

1. A pre-course self-directed component (approximately five hours self-directed learning), including a survey assessing your knowledge of autism, recorded lecture material with accompanying transcripts, and quizzes on the lectures.
2. A live online course over two days (two five-hour sessions) on ADOS task administration and the coding of ADOS assessments (demonstrated through explanations and videos). Participant understanding is assessed through observation and small-group discussions.
3. A post-course assignment requiring participants to view and code a recorded ADOS assessment and write short reflections on the use of ADOS-2 in clinical practice.

The ADOS-2 Toddler Module is available as a post-course optional online learning module, with access granted after successfully completed Modules 1-4 and the post-course assignment.

The course trainer is Prof Louise Gallagher, Chair of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Trinity. She is an Autism Researcher and Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist in the Irish Health Service. Louise is an accredited International ADOS and ADI-R trainer and has been running professional ADOS-2 training courses for more than 15 years.

For more information, visit: www.tcd.ie/medicine/psychiatry/ research/neuropsychiatric-genetics/ autism/ados