Question 1

Who should attend ADOS-2 trainings?

Accepted Answer

Our trainings are designed for clinicians, researchers, and educators with a background in autism spectrum disorder and formal testing. Participants typically include speech-language pathologists, clinical and school psychologists, physicians and pediatricians, psychiatrists, occupational therapists, social workers, behavior analysts, and autism specialists.Clinics and school districts also send staff who won't be administering the instrument themselves, such as special educators, counselors, and program leads, so they can read ADOS-2 reports with more confidence and put the results to better use. That's a reasonable reason to attend.

Question 2

Which training do I need, and in what order?

Accepted Answer

Everyone starts with the introductory / clinical training on Modules 1–4. From there, add the Toddler Module if you assess children under 30 months, and the advanced / research workshop if you plan to use the ADOS-2 for research or want more advanced clinical skill. Booster trainings are open to anyone who has already attended an introductory or research training.The Toddler Module usually runs as a third day immediately after the introductory training, so most people complete training on all five ADOS-2 modules together.

Question 3

Can I take the Toddler Module on its own?

Accepted Answer

Yes, if you've previously attended an ADOS-2 introductory training on Modules 1–4, with any certified independent trainer. Choose the toddler-only option when you register and tell us where and when you attended.If you haven't attended one yet, you'll need to do that first, as the Toddler Module builds directly on it.

Question 4

What are the prerequisites?

Accepted Answer

The introductory / clinical training assumes you already have education, training, and experience administering standardized assessment tools and test batteries, whether through graduate clinical training, coursework, or supervised practice, along with a background in autism spectrum disorder.The Toddler Module and the advanced / research workshop both assume prior attendance at an ADOS-2 introductory training.We've written these as assumptions rather than a checklist, because backgrounds vary so much across disciplines, settings, and states. Please use your best judgment about whether a training is a good fit for you.

Question 5

Who is qualified to use the ADOS-2?

Accepted Answer

That's determined by your license, credential, scope of practice, and employer, not by us. Requirements vary considerably from state to state and between disciplines, and they change over time. We aren't able to determine or verify whether use of the ADOS-2 falls within your scope of practice, and registering for a training isn't a confirmation from us that it does.One thing that often gets missed: the credential you need depends on what you're using the instrument for. Contributing to a medical or psychological diagnosis calls for diagnostic licensure. Contributing to an educational eligibility determination calls for the credential your state recognizes for that purpose. And the ADOS-2 is regularly used for things other than diagnosis. Treatment planning, progress monitoring, program evaluation, and in some states early childhood screening or service eligibility each answer to a different set of requirements.Verifying where you fall is your responsibility before you register. Your state licensing board and your employer's clinical leadership are the right places to start, and colleagues who already diagnose autism in your area can usually tell you how it works in practice locally.It's also worth knowing that the publisher's qualification levels govern who may purchase ADOS-2 materials. They aren't a statement about who is qualified to administer or interpret the instrument, and additional training and supervised experience is generally needed beyond any purchase requirement.

Question 6

Does completing this training qualify me to diagnose autism?

Accepted Answer

No. Learning to use the ADOS-2 and learning to diagnose autism are two different things, and this training only does the first. It teaches you to administer, code, and score the instrument. It is not a curriculum in autism diagnosis.A diagnostic evaluation draws on developmental and family history, cognitive and language assessment, observation across settings, and careful differential diagnosis, and is usually the work of a multidisciplinary team. The ADOS-2 contributes one strand of evidence to that picture. Whether you can make a diagnosis is determined by your license, credential, and scope of practice, not by completing this training.

Question 7

Am I "certified" in the ADOS-2 after this training?

Accepted Answer

There is no certification for clinical users of the ADOS-2. You'll receive a certificate of completion documenting your attendance and contact hours.It's worth being clear that attending a training, on its own, isn't enough to ensure competent use. The workshop is the first step: becoming genuinely competent takes practice with administration and scoring afterward, ideally with feedback from someone already skilled with the instrument. Research reliability and certified independent trainer are separate designations again, each with their own requirements.

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