Autism and ADHD assessments for deaf people who use British Sign Language
- Specialist assessment for deaf adults in the UK.
- Our assessments are tailored for deaf people.
- You will be able to communicate directly with a deaf psychologist in BSL.
- Good understanding of Deaf communication and culture
- The team includes deaf and hearing psychologists who specialise in working with people with Autism and ADHD.
- BSL-English interpretation will be provided.
Deaf children
- We accept enquiries for deaf or CODA children who use BSL if they do not meet the eligibility criteria for NHS Deaf CAMHS.
Who are we?
- Dr Joanna Atkinson - a deaf BSL user and a highly specialist psychologist (clinical and neuropsychology).
- Another member of our team of psychologists will join our sessions with a BSL-English interpreter.
- Together we combine our deep knowledge about deaf people, autism and ADHD.
- We are Deaf-friendly and accessible to those with different brains.
- We know that the Deaf community is often let-down by health and education services, and we are sensitive to the barriers that deaf people face in their everyday lives.
- The language, cognition anddevelopment of deaf people
- BSL and Deaf culture
- Neurodevelopmental assessment
- Mental health
- Our assessments follow theNICE guidelines for neurodevelopmental assessment.
There is no NHS service or clinical pathway for deaf adults to get an autism or ADHD assessment in the UK.
- Because there is no NHS pathway, your GP is required to make an application to their NHS trust to fund a specialist assessment for you.
- You can find a copy of the letter explaining this here.
- Take this letter it to your GP.
- Get them to contact us for a quotation so that they can apply for funding.
- Your GP can contact us with any questions they have.
Please click here to contact us.
Meet The Team
Dr Joanna Atkinson
I am a deaf person who uses British Sign Language. I have 25 years of experience working with deaf people in clinical practice and research.
I am a qualified clinical psychologist and clinical neuropsychologist specialising in brain conditions in deaf people including autism and ADHD.
I specialise in working with deaf adults and children where there are questions about cognition, memory or language ability providing neuropsychology assessment, rehabilitation, coaching and therapy.
I am excited about this joint venture with Carnaby Autism Support (CAS) to set up the first independent pathway for the assessment of autism and ADHD in deaf people. We bring together my deep knowledge of the Deaf community, expertise in deafness, BSL and brain conditions with CAS’s specialist expertise in autism and ADHD assessment.
Together, we will offer assessments that are deaf-friendly, and autism/ADHD-friendly, tailored to meet your communication needs in BSL.
I will adapt to suit your sign language communication. I am experienced at working with people who prefer sign supported English, deafblind people, and those with language impairments or language deprivation.
Dr Dora Whittuck
Dr Steven Carnaby
