Summary
Upasana is a HCPC-registered clinical psychologist specialising in assessment and management of neurodevelopmental disorders such as ADHD and Autism for young persons. She completed her clinical psychology training qualification in 2012 and obtained a PhD in the field of Childhood ADHD and Sleep from National University of Ireland, Maynooth, Republic of Ireland.
Experience
Dr Upasana Bondo has extensive experience working within CAMHS services, assessing children and young people referred by schools, parents and other professionals for a wide range of concerns. These include academic difficulties, social interaction and communication challenges, difficulties in the classroom, behavioural concerns, safety concerns and wider emotional or mental health difficulties. Her CAMHS experience gives her a practical understanding of the challenges faced by children, families and schools and the reasons a child may be referred for an ADHD, autism or wider neurodevelopmental assessment.
Upasana has worked with children and adolescents presenting with complex mental health needs across a wide range of social and cultural backgrounds. Her clinical experience spans public and private healthcare settings in New Delhi, Singapore, Belfast and Dublin, and now in the UK with Oxford CBT and Southern Health NHS. She has extensive experience in clinical assessment and formulation, with particular expertise in differentiating trauma-related difficulties and wider mental health conditions from neurodevelopmental presentations, including ADHD and autism. Her clinical work also encompasses anxiety, mood disorders and emerging personality difficulties.
Upasana is trained as a clinical examiner for ADOS and has extensive experience using cognitive, attainment and neuropsychological assessment tools, including WISC-V, WAIS-IV, WIAT-III, the Phonological Test of Attention, NEPSY and the Test of Everyday Attention. She is also trained in the use of specialist clinical inventories, questionnaires and projective assessments, including the Rorschach Inkblot Test using the Exner scoring system.
She has served as a clinical examiner for Pearson during the country-specific standardisation of a Wechsler assessment tool and has developed a protocol for a sleep questionnaire for use within ADHD populations – reflecting her ongoing interest in the use and development of psychometric tools.
Approach
Upasana takes a comprehensive, evidence-informed approach to ADHD, autism and wider neurodevelopmental assessments. Rather than relying on a single questionnaire, observation or informant account, she brings together information from multiple sources to develop a detailed understanding of the child or young person’s developmental history, current presentation, educational experience and mental health.
Where appropriate, this includes information from parents, schools and other professionals, alongside clinical observation and a detailed developmental and mental health history. This multi-informant approach helps ensure that assessment findings are considered within the wider context of the individual and that potential alternative explanations for difficulties are carefully explored.
An important part of Upasana’s clinical approach is considering the reliability and context of the information gathered. She recognises that parents, teachers and other informants may interpret behaviours differently depending on their experiences and expectations. She therefore carefully weighs information from different sources alongside clinical evidence rather than relying on any single perspective.
Risk assessment is incorporated into her clinical practice as appropriate, alongside detailed and thorough clinical documentation. Her reports are designed to provide a clear explanation of the assessment findings and, importantly, practical recommendations that families and schools can use.
Upasana places particular emphasis on recommendations following an assessment. Where an ADHD or autism diagnosis is made, the assessment should not simply end with a diagnosis; families and schools should have a clearer understanding of the young person’s needs and the practical steps that may help them. She therefore provides specific recommendations and signposting to appropriate resources and support.
She also encourages parents to share assessment reports with their child’s school where appropriate. A clear understanding of a young person’s strengths and difficulties can help schools put appropriate support in place and can contribute to improved adjustment, relationships and wellbeing across school, home and social settings.
Her approach combines detailed clinical assessment with a practical understanding of the environments in which children and young people live, learn and develop — helping families move from uncertainty towards a clearer understanding of their child’s needs and the support that may be beneficial.
Interesting Facts
Upasana is also a keen researcher. She has a repertoire of published papers in peer reviewed high impact international journals, which have studied the occurrence and management of lifestyle and sleep related concerns for young persons on the ADHD spectrum.
Assessments
- Autism – Adults, Teens, Children
- ADHD – Adults, Teens, Children
