Dr Paul Abeles

Dr Paul Abeles is an expert witness and Consultant Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychologist at Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital, Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust. He specialises in child and adolescent clinical psychology, with particular expertise in neurodevelopmental conditions, autism spectrum disorder, eating disorders, chronic fatigue syndrome, cleft lip and palate, anxiety, depression and paediatric neuropsychology.

Dr Abeles has extensive experience working with children and adolescents across specialist and district CAMHS services, including inpatient, outpatient and paediatric hospital settings. His clinical background includes work at Galaxy House, a specialist inpatient CAMHS unit managing complex presentations such as child neurodevelopmental disorders, eating disorders and pervasive arousal withdrawal syndrome. He also works within a regional social communication service called SCAN, assessing and supporting children and young people with autism spectrum disorder and related developmental difficulties.

Within paediatric services, Dr Abeles is clinical lead for the Tertiary Paediatric Fatigue Services and lead psychologist for cleft lip and palate. His practice focuses on complex psychological, developmental and behavioural presentations in children and adolescents, combining specialist assessment with evidence-based psychological intervention.

Dr Paul Abeles has been undertaking medico-legal work since 2003 and accepts instructions in personal injury, clinical negligence, family and abuse, fitness to practise, and criminal and forensic matters. He has experience acting for claimants, defendants and as a jointly instructed expert.

His medico-legal practice focuses on psychological assessment and expert opinion in cases involving children and adolescents aged 5 to 18. He is instructed to address issues of causation, condition and prognosis, particularly where psychological, developmental, behavioural or neurodevelopmental factors are relevant to the claim. His expertise is suited to cases involving child mental health, trauma-related presentations, developmental disorders, autism spectrum disorder, ADHD, anxiety, depression, eating disorders, chronic fatigue, attachment difficulties and paediatric neuropsychological issues. He provides solicitor-focused opinion on the psychological impact of injury, clinical events, abuse or disputed circumstances within child and adolescent cases.

Dr Abeles’ clinical interests centre on the assessment and psychological management of children and adolescents with complex developmental, emotional and behavioural presentations. His day-to-day practice includes working with young people with autism spectrum disorder, ADHD, learning difficulties, executive function problems and broader neurodevelopmental needs, particularly where these difficulties interact with anxiety, low mood, sleep disturbance, obsessive compulsive symptoms or behavioural regulation.

A significant part of his practice involves supporting children and families where physical health, development and psychological wellbeing overlap. This includes specialist work with chronic fatigue presentations and the psychological aspects of cleft lip and palate care, where assessment and intervention may address adjustment, self-esteem, social functioning and the wider impact of long-term paediatric conditions.

He also has a strong interest in evidence-based psychological intervention, including CBT approaches for anxiety, depression, phobias, trauma-related symptoms and other child mental health difficulties. His clinical work is particularly focused on understanding the child’s functioning in context, including family, school, developmental and health-related factors.

Dr Abeles has research experience across child and adolescent psychology, including CBT, anxiety, depression, multidisciplinary team working, visuospatial working memory, inpatient CAMHS dependency measurement and e-health interventions. He has also held teaching roles in psychology and statistics and has published peer-reviewed work in cognition and child and adolescent inpatient mental health.