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Autism Diagnostic Interview (ADI)
Availability
Please visit this website for more information about the instrument: Autism Diagnostic Interview - Revised
Classification
Supplemental: Mitochondrial Disease (Mito)
Short Description of Instrument
The Autism Diagnostic Interview (ADI) is a semi-structured instrument given to parents of individuals with possible autism and is used to diagnose autism, plan treatment and distinguish autism from other developmental disorders. It consists of 93 items, focusing on three main areas (i) quality of reciprocal social interaction, (ii) communication and language, and (iii) repetitive, restricted and stereotyped patterns of behavior. In general items are coded 0 (no evidence of abnormality), 1 (some evidence of abnormality), and 2 (evidence of marked abnormality). Higher scores are indicative of greater abnormality, resulting in a classification of 'autism' or 'no autism'. In contrast to the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS), the severity of autistic symptomatology is not assessed by the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R).
Scoring and Psychometric Properties
Scoring: Each item is rated on a 0-9 scale, with an autism diagnosis indicated when scores in three specific behavioral areas are above cutoff scores.
 
Psychometric Properties: Diagnostic algorithm provided for the ADI-R differentiates Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) from non-autistic developmental disorders in clinically referred groups, provided the mental age is above 2 years, 0 months.
Rationale/Justification
Strengths: The ADI-R is an interview based diagnostic tool for ASD and easier to administer than the ADOS.
 
Weaknesses: The tool does not break down the severity of symptoms. May over call ASD in children and adults with intellectual disabilities.
 
Mitochondrial Disease-Specific:
ASDs have been reported in individuals with mitochondrial disorders. The ADI-R is one of the two gold standard methods of diagnosing ASD in children and adults. There have been no studies to validate the assessment in individuals with mitochondrial disorders.  
References
Key References:
Rutter M, Couteur AL, Lord C. ADI-R. Los Angeles, CA: Autism Genetic Resource Exchange; 2003.

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Lord C, Rutter M, Le Couteur A. Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised: a revised version of a diagnostic interview for caregivers of individuals with possible pervasive developmental disorders. J Autism Dev Disord. 1994 Oct;24(5):659-85.
 
Additional Reference:
Gray KM, Tonge BJ, Sweeney DJ. Using the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised and the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule with young children with developmental delay: evaluating diagnostic validity. J Autism Dev Disord. 2008 Apr;38(4):657-67.
 
Document last updated March 2024