Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised - Structure

Structure

The interview covers the referred individual’s full developmental history, is usually conducted in an office, home or other quiet setting by a psychiatrist or other trained and licensed professional, and generally takes one to two hours. The caregivers are asked 93 questions, spanning the three main behavioral areas, about either the individual’s current behavior or behavior at a certain point in time. The interview is divided into five sections: opening questions, communication questions, social development and play questions, repetitive and restricted behavior questions, and questions about general behavior problems. Because the ADI-R is an investigator-based interview, the questions are very open-ended and the investigator is able to obtain all of the information required to determine a valid rating for each behavior. For this reason, parents and caretakers usually feel very comfortable when taking part in this interview because what they have to say about their children is valued by the interviewer. Also, taking part in this interview helps parents obtain a better understanding of Autism Spectrum Disorder and the factors that lead to a diagnosis.