What does ADOS mean in SYNDROMES

The Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS) is a diagnostic tool designed to help professionals diagnosis autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in individuals of all ages. It consists of a series of modules specific to different age levels for assessment and diagnosis.

The ADOS is typically administered by psychiatrists, pediatricians, psychologists, and other medical or mental health professionals.

This system utilizes various activities to observe an individual's behavior related to communication, emotion recognition, joint attention, play ability and social interaction. Through these observations and information collected from parents or caregivers at time of evaluation it assists the clinician in diagnosing ASD as well as determining its severity level.

Yes, there are four versions of the ADOS to address different age levels — Toddler Module, Module 1 for ages 2-4 years old; Module 2 for 4-7 year olds; Module 3 for 7-12 year olds; Module 4 for 13+ year olds. Each module has a certain number of activities that are adapted specifically for each age group depending on their verbal abilities.

Yes - there have been numerous studies conducted that have confirmed the reliability and validity when using this system in diagnosing ASD as well as establishing its severity level across various demographic characteristics such as gender and race/ethnicity.