ADOS-2 Module 3 Interaction Guide
ADOS-2 Module 3 Interaction Guide
The ADOS-2 Module 3 guide evaluates a child's ability to follow and respond to social cues by incorporating scenario-based interactions, such as demonstration tasks where the child is asked to teach an examiner how to perform daily activities like brushing teeth or washing hands . This setting requires the child to interpret the social context, use appropriate gestures, and communicate effectively to instruct another person. The guide carefully observes the child’s responsiveness, including their ability to adapt if the examiner shows misunderstanding, providing insights into the child’s capacity to navigate social exchanges .
The ADOS-2 Module 3 guide encourages children to demonstrate responsibility and social insights through targeted questions about their social interactions, such as problems at school or home, and situations in which they might feel teased or bullied . These discussions aim to evaluate the child's reflection on social norms, recognition of their own and others' responsibilities in social dynamics, and their understanding of social implications. Probing discussions about managing conflicts and understanding teasing further assess a child’s social insight and their capacity to interpret and respond to social cues .
The ADOS-2 Module 3 guide assesses children's understanding of loneliness and coping strategies by asking them to discuss personal experiences with loneliness and inquire about general perceptions of peers’ loneliness . This dialogue encourages children to articulate their emotional self-awareness and identify strategies they employ or observe others use to cope with such feelings. By discussing these aspects, the guide evaluates both the child's empathetic understanding and their problem-solving skills related to personal and observed social experiences of loneliness .
The ADOS-2 Module 3 guide evaluates narrative skills by engaging children in tasks like telling a story from a picture book and retelling cartoons. Children are prompted to describe sequences of pictures, encouraging them to employ language and gesture to narrate events . The guide stresses minimal prompting to gauge the child's spontaneous narrative capabilities and provides support only as needed. The ability to sequence events, integrate gaze and gestures, and react to stories forms the basis of assessing their storytelling abilities .
The ADOS-2 Module 3 guide explores children's understanding and expression of emotions by asking them direct questions about emotions such as happiness, fear, anger, sadness, and contentment. For each emotion, children are asked to discuss situations that provoke the emotion, describe how they physically and mentally feel, and explain their reactions . This approach helps to evaluate the child’s emotional literacy and their ability to articulate internal states, which are essential components of emotional intelligence and social interaction .
The ADOS-2 Module 3 guide assesses joint interactive play capabilities by involving the examiner in the play process after the child engages in make-believe play on their own. The examiner introduces collaborative elements by joining the play, such as asking 'Can I play too?' and immediately implements joint interactive play presses, like handing objects to the child's doll, to encourage collaborative decision-making . The child's response to these cues, their ability to adapt the narrative, and their general willingness to include someone else in their play are key indicators of their proficiency in joint interactive play .
The ADOS-2 Module 3 guide facilitates the assessment of a child’s spontaneity in language by providing opportunities for unstructured conversation and storytelling tasks. During these tasks, the child is encouraged to narrate events, describe pictures, or tell stories without predetermined scripts, allowing assessment of the child's ability to spontaneously generate language . The examiner observes how the child initiates new topics, follows conversational prompts, and integrates language with gestures, which reflects their spontaneous language capabilities and sociolinguistic skills .
The ADOS-2 Module 3 guide uses structured play tasks to evaluate a child's imaginative skills. It involves providing children with toys such as a doll family and household items, then observing how they utilize these objects in pretend scenarios. The study of how a child uses gestures, initiates play themes, and engages in creative storytelling allows for the assessment of their imaginative play and social interaction capabilities . Furthermore, the guide recommends adapting the scenarios to the child’s age, such as framing it as a TV show for older children, to accurately evaluate their level of creativity and engagement .
Incorporating pauses and personal information sharing in the ADOS-2 Module 3 guide's conversation and reporting tasks is significant because it helps assess a child's interpersonal communication skills. Pauses provide the child with the opportunity to initiate or extend conversations, showcasing their ability to engage in less structured dialogue. Sharing personal information by the examiner acts as a model and a stimulus, encouraging the child to reciprocate with their own experiences, thus evaluating the depth of their communicative behaviors and their ability to sustain conversational back-and-forth .
The ADOS-2 Module 3 guide utilizes creative tasks, such as creating a story using objects with and without clear purposes, to assess cognitive flexibility. By asking children to invent a story using items both in typical and novel ways, the guide observes how effectively children can think divergently and adaptively, employing divergent thinking and imagination. These tasks offer insights into the child's cognitive flexibility, as they require the child to generate and communicate original ideas, modify their approach, and demonstrate willingness to explore beyond conventional uses for objects .