Christie Welch
Assistant Professor - Teaching Stream
Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy
Christie Welch PhD, OT Reg. (Ont.)
christie.welch@utoronto.ca
Biosketch
Christie Welch is a registered Occupational Therapist who has been practicing since 2001. She completed a PhD in Rehabilitation Science at the University of Toronto and a postdoctoral fellowship at the Bloorview Research Institute. Christie is passionate about building a new understanding of autism that is based on the perspectives of people who identify as autistic. Her research has focused on phenomena identified as important by autistic people, especially burnout, inertia, meltdown and shutdown. She uses novel data generation strategies to match diverse communication strengths, including, art, co-design, digital collage, individualized non-verbal communication and brokered dialogue.
Current Student Projects
Meltdowns and Other Stuff: developing a BIMS self-assessment and self-management tool for autistic youth. Student: Keshini Namasivayam
Co-designing a self-support tool for Burnout, Inertia, Meltdown and Shutdown with autistic adults. Student: Abigail Bernardo
The impacts of Burnout, Inertia, Meltdown and Shutdown on Autistic Adults’ experiences of employment. Students: Sallie Elhayek and Emily Smith