ADI-R Training FAQs

What is the Introductory/Clinical Training for ADI-R?

The introductory training is intended for professionals with previous training and experience in assessment and differential diagnosis of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) who are interested in learning more about how the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R) can be appropriately incorporated into an assessment battery. The introductory training also serves as a first step in the process of establishing research reliability on the ADI-R.

The ADI-R Introductory/Clinical training takes place over one or multiple days, and uses lectures and demonstrations to introduce people to the basic ADI-R administration and scoring principles.

Following the workshop, additional practice with administration and scoring will be necessary to ensure competency in using the ADI-R for clinical and/or research purposes.

Introductory/Clinical Trainings are currently offered virtually via Live Webinars, as well as in-person.

Prerequisites: This workshop presumes that trainees will have prior training in diagnostic assessment of ASD and other neurodevelopmental disorders, as well as previous experience with clinical interviewing. Trainees could be psychologists, social workers, physicians, and other mental health professionals. People interested in obtaining more training on best practice assessment methods and differential diagnosis of autism spectrum disorders in advance of the specific instrument-focused workshops may find the following workshop series helpful: https://psychiatry.weill.cornell.edu/education-training/autism/gain-workshops. Trainees should also have access to an ADI-R manual to reference during the training, and they should review the pre-course materials prior to attending the introductory workshop.

What is the ADI-R Advanced/Research Training?

The ADI-R Advanced/Research Training is for specialists in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) interested in establishing research reliability, which is required when using the ADI-R for research purposes. The goals of this workshop are to provide hands-on experience in administering the ADI-R, detailed instruction and practice with coding, and information on appropriate use and interpretation in research and clinical settings. With guidance from an experienced ADI-R trainer, trainees will administer parts of the ADI-R to caregivers of people with ASD. Detailed discussion on scoring of the ADI-R follows the practice administration. Trainees will be provided video examples of ADI-R administrations to supplement the workshop and will be given instructions on next steps for achieving research reliability.

Advanced/Research Trainings are only available in-person.

Prerequisites:

This course must be taken after completing the introductory training.
Trainees should have practiced administering the ADI-R several times and must be ready to administer a portion of the interview to caregivers of individuals with ASD during the course.
Trainees are also required to submit pre-course video administration of themselves administering the ADI-R prior to attending the advanced/research training. This video will not be scored for reliability purposes. Instead, we request these videos to ensure that all trainees have access to proper ADI-R materials, and are doing the necessary steps to prepare for advanced training. We also review these pre-course videos to make sure the room set-up and audio/visual quality are adequate for when you submit post course videos for reliability coding.

Who should establish research reliability on the ADI-R?

If you plan to use the ADI-R for research purposes, you will need to establish reliability on the instrument before you begin collecting data. Establishing and maintaining reliability is crucial to maintaining consistency and comparability across research studies that employ these instruments. If you plan to use the ADI-R for clinical purposes, establishing research reliability is recommended but not required.

To begin the process of obtaining independent research reliability on the ADI-R, you must first do the following:

Attend the Introductory/Clinical training
Attend Advanced/Research training.

What is the process for establishing research reliability?

There are two ways to establish research reliability:

Establishing research reliability on the ADI-R with an independent trainer:

Following satisfactory completion of the Advanced/Research Training, you must then fulfill the post-course requirements. The post-course requirements include submitting at least one video recording of yourself administering the ADI-R.

These recordings will be watched and scored by an independent ADI-R trainer. The videos must demonstrate that:

you have learned the standardized administration procedures (i.e., you are administering with fidelity), and
that your scoring is reliable, as evidenced by at least 90% exact item agreement on both the protocol and the algorithm.

If you are not successful on your initial tape submissions, you must submit additional videos until you achieve fidelity in administration and reliability in coding.

Once you have achieved independent reliability on the ADI-R with an independent trainer, you will be able to use the ADI-R for research purposes. The independent trainer will then be responsible for tracking and vouching for you in case you need to provide documentation that you have achieved research reliability. You are also permitted to train others at your same physical site (i.e., in your same lab or clinic) with whom you have frequent contact, in order to help them achieve on-site reliability (see below).

Establishing on-site reliability on the ADI-R:

If you work directly with someone who has previously established reliability on the ADI-R with an independent trainer, you may choose to establish on-site reliability with that person. To do so, you must be working at the same physical site and have frequent (i.e., at least weekly) contact to talk about administration and coding issues.

To establish ADI-R reliability with an independently reliable person at your site, you must achieve:

90% exact item agreement in coding on both the protocol and the algorithm across three consecutive administrations
*you must also fully conduct at least one of these administrations to show fidelity of your administration

What is the difference between choosing to establish on-site reliability instead of with an independent trainer?

If you obtain on-site reliability, you are not permitted to then train other people in your lab or clinic. Thus, if you need to be able to train other people in your lab or clinic, you must complete the research reliability process with an independent trainer.

In addition, on-site reliability does not transfer to different sites. Thus, if an individual who has established on-site reliability leaves the site where they first established reliability, they will need to re-establish on-site reliability with another independently reliable individual at their new site OR establish reliability with an independent trainer before collecting data at the new site.

Once I am research reliable on the ADI-R, how do I maintain my reliability?

It is essential in any research project to establish procedures for maintenance of reliability. We recommend that you double-score and reassess reliability with other reliable coders for approximately one of every 10 administrations of the ADI-R, depending on how frequently you administer the instrument. It is easy for even very skilled clinicians to "drift" in scoring if there is not frequent discussion and a chance to compare scores. Attendance at “booster trainings” is also helpful in ensuring continued reliability over time.

How do I become a independent trainer on the ADI-R?

You can apply to become a Trainer-in-Training. The Trainer-in-Training program involves several steps, including:

achieving research reliability with an independent trainer,
submitting additional reliability tapes and
attending another Advanced/Research Training at a designated ADOS-2/ADI-R training site

For Trainer-in-Training applicants coming from within the United States, we require that applicants hold a doctoral degree (e.g., PhD, PsyD, MD). Given different degree requirements for professionals in other countries, international applicants are handled on a case-by-case basis. In all cases, we give priority to people who have extensive experience in assessment and differential diagnosis of ASD, and who are experienced users of the ADI-R. Please note that there are very few slots for Trainers-in-Training each year, and we cannot guarantee acceptance into the Trainer-in-Training program.

What is an ADOS-2/ADI-R Designated Training Site?

These sites have been designated by the authors of the instruments to host advanced/research trainings, as well as Booster trainings. They also serve as approved sites for the Trainer-in-Training program.

In the United States, the designated ADOS-2/ADI-R training sites include University of California San Francisco (UCSF), University of Minnesota, Weill Cornell Center for Autism and the Developing Brain (CADB), Rutgers University, and University of California Los Angeles (UCLA). SpectrumKU at Korea University is an international designated training site that works closely with our US designated training sites.

How do I know if my training course is being conducted by a independent trainer?

The designated ADOS-2/ADI-R training sites maintain a list of independent trainers from the US and certain international locations. These trainers have graduated from our Trainer-in-Training program and are authorized to conduct independent trainings.

It is possible that some international trainers are not included on this list because they have been trained as trainers at designated training sites in Europe. However, other individuals may be providing trainings without having completed any formal training on the instruments. Before enrolling in a course, trainees should ensure that the course will be led by an independent trainer or someone who has been formally trained as a trainer through a designated international program.

How can I find out about upcoming trainings?

To be notified of upcoming trainings as they are released, please email [email protected] and indicate that you would like to be added to the mailing list.

Information about trainings at the designated training sites can be found on their websites:

You can view all the upcoming UCSF Trainings here and all upcoming trainings at collaborating sites here.

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