| Type | Diagnostic instrument — structured caregiver interview |
|---|---|
| Age range | Children and adults with a developmental age above 2 |
| Format | ~93 questions asked by a trained interviewer, typically 1.5–3 hours (sometimes split across sessions) |
| Who administers | Clinicians with ADI-R training |
| Output | Scores in three domains matched to diagnostic criteria: social interaction, communication, and restricted/repetitive behaviors |
What the interview covers
- Early development: milestones, first words, and — with special weight — the age 4–5 window, where autism-related differences are typically clearest in retrospect.
- Social interaction: eye contact, shared enjoyment, peer relationships, comfort-seeking, social smiling across your child's life.
- Communication: gestures, pointing, unusual language (echoed phrases, invented words, pronoun reversal), conversation, pretend play.
- Restricted & repetitive behaviors: routines and rituals, intense interests, repetitive movements, sensory responses.
- Any loss of skills — asked about carefully at every stage.
How to prepare (this one, you can prepare for)
Unlike the ADOS-2, preparation genuinely helps here — not to shape answers, but to have the memories ready:
- Review baby books, old videos, and photos before the appointment — interviewers ask "at age 2, did she…?" and specifics beat reconstructions.
- Bring your observation notes and dates (first words, when concerns started, any regression).
- If possible, have the parent who knew the child's early years best in the room — or both parents/grandparents together.
- Answer what was true, including things that have since improved. The ADI-R deliberately asks about "ever" as well as "now" — a child who learned to compensate still had the developmental history.
It can feel intense. Three hours of detailed questions about your child's differences is emotionally heavy for many parents — some describe it as the moment the picture came into focus. That's normal. It's also the part of the evaluation where your expertise about your child matters most; nobody in the room knows them like you do.
Where it fits
ADI-R + ADOS-2 + cognitive/language assessment + adaptive behavior + hearing test = the comprehensive evaluation. Many clinics use a thorough unstructured history interview instead of the full ADI-R — that's legitimate; the ADI-R is the standardized, research-grade version of the same conversation.
Medical disclaimer: Educational information only. The ADI-R is a published instrument (Rutter, Le Couteur & Lord, WPS). This page cannot diagnose anyone; consult a qualified clinician.