Faculty & School/Dept.

Faculty of Health - Department of Psychology

Degrees

PhD - 2007
York University
Toronto

Biography

Dr. Weiss is a Clinical Psychologist registered with the College of Psychologists of Ontario, who works with children, adolescents, and adults. He completed a pre-doctoral internship at Surrey Place Centre (Toronto) and a post-doctoral fellowship in the Dual Diagnosis Program at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, and was a fellow in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto.

Selected Publications

* Students in italics

Weiss, J.A., Cappadocia, M.C., MacMullin, J.A., Viecili, M.A., & Lunsky, Y. (2012). Psychological acceptance and empowerment as mediators of the impact of problem behaviour in children with autism spectrum disorders on parent mental health. Autism: The International Journal of Research and Practice, 16(3), 261 -274

White, S. E., McMorris, C., Weiss, J. A., & Lunsky, Y. (2012). The experience of crisis in families of individuals with autism spectrum disorder across the lifespan. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 21(3), 457-465.doi: 10.1007/s10826-011-9499-3

Weiss, J. A. (2012). Mental health care for Canadians with developmental disabilities. Canadian Psychology, 53(1), 67-69. doi:10.1037/a0026127

Cappadocia, M. C., Weiss, J. A., & Pepler, D. (2012). Bullying experiences among children and youth with Autism Spectrum Disorders. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 42, 266-277.

Morin, D., Weiss, J. A., Lunsky, Y., & Tremblay, A. (2011). Formation des étudiants en psychologie en déficience intellectuelle et troubles envahissants du développement. Revue Francophone de la Déficience Intellectuelle, 22, 51-62.

Weiss, J. A., MacMullin, J., Waechter, R., Wekerle, C., & the MAP Research Team. (2011). Child maltreatment, adolescent attachment style, and dating violence: Considerations in youths with borderline-to-mild intellectual disability. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 9(5), 555-576.

Weiss, J. A., Slusarczyk, M., & Lunsky, Y. (2011). Individuals with intellectual disabilities living with families    and in psychiatric crisis: Who uses the emergency department and who stays home? Journal of Mental Health Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 4, 158-171.

Weiss, J. A., & Lunsky, Y. (2011). The brief family distress scale: A measure of crisis in caregivers of individuals with autism spectrum disorders. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 20, 521-528.

Weiss, J. A., Waechter, R., Wekerle, C., & the MAP Research Team. (2011). The impact of emotional abuse on psychological distress among child protective services-involved adolescents with borderline-to-mild intellectual disability. Journal of Child and Adolescent Trauma, 4, 142-159.

Cappadocia, M. C., & Weiss, J. A. (2011). Review of social skills training groups for youth with Asperger syndrome and high functioning autism. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 5, 70-78.

Weiss, J. A., & Lunsky, Y. (2010). Group cognitive behaviour therapy for adults with Asperger syndrome and anxiety or mood disorder: A case series. Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy, 17, 438-446.

Weiss, J. A., Lunsky, Y. & Morin, D. (2010). Psychology graduate student training in developmental disability: A Canadian survey. Canadian Psychology, 51(3), 177 – 184.

Weiss, J. A., & Lunsky, Y. (2010). Service utilization patterns in parents of youth and adults with intellectual disability who experienced psychiatric crisis. Journal of Mental Health Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 3, 145-163.

Lunsky, Y., White, S.E., Palucka, A.M., Weiss, J. A., Bockus, S., & Gofine, T. (2010). Clinical outcomes of a specialized inpatient unit for adults with mild to severe intellectual disability and mental illness. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 54(1), 60 - 69.

Weiss, J. A., Lunsky, Y., Gracey, C., Canrinus, M., & Morris, S. (2009). Emergency psychiatric services for individuals with intellectual disabilities: Caregivers’ perspectives. Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 22(4), 354-362. 

Weiss, J. A., Lunsky, Y., Tassé, M. J., & Durbin, J. (2009). Support for the construct validity of the Supports Intensity Scale based on clinician rankings of need. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 30, 933-941. 

Weiss, J. A., (2008). The role of Special Olympics for mothers of adult athletes with intellectual disability. American Journal on Mental Retardation, 113(4), 241 – 253. 

Bebko, J. M., Weiss, J. A., Demark, J., & Gomez, P. (2006). Discrimination of temporal synchrony in intermodal events by children with autism and children with developmental delays. Journal of Child Psychology, Psychiatry, and Allied Disciplines, 47(1), 88-98. 

Weiss, J. A., & Diamond, T. (2005). Brief Report: Stress in parents of adult children with  intellectual disabilities attending Special Olympics competition. Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 18, 263- 270.

Weiss, J., Diamond, T., Demark, J., & Lovald, B. (2003). Involvement in Special Olympics and  its relations to self-concept and actual competency in participants with developmental disabilities. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 24(4), 281-305. 

Awards

Ontario Mental Health Foundation New Investigator Fellowship - 2010

Supervision

Currently available to supervise graduate students: Yes

Currently taking on work-study students, Graduate Assistants or Volunteers: No

Available to supervise undergraduate thesis projects: No

Current Research

Dr. Weiss' research focuses on the prevention and treatment of mental health problems in people with autism spectrum disorders and/or intellectual disabilities across the lifespan.  He conducts studies into how people with developmental disabilities access mental health care in Ontario, and is interested in their health service needs, their emergency service use, and their experiences of psychiatric crisis. Families play a critical role in the health of people with developmental disabilities by providing them with care and enabling their access to health services, and he is currently focused on learning about the experience of family caregivers. He is interested in program development and evaluation, and in particular on the impact of Special Olympics on the psychological well-being of participants, and of cognitive-behavioural and social skill interventions to promote resilience and improve the mental health of children and adults with developmental disabilities.

Research Projects

GO4KIDDS: Great Outcomes for Kids Impacted by Severe Developmental Disabilities
Children with severe developmental disabilities require intensive, specialized education, health care, and social services. The demands of providing this high level of care can take a toll on families. GO4KIDDS will conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the state of health, well-being and social inclusion of children and families who are dealing with severe developmental disabilities.
Role: CoInvestigator
Year Funded: 2009
Duration: 3
Funded by: Canadian Institutes of Health Research

HELPS Inc.: Health, Education, and Learning Practices Promoting Social Inclusion of Children with Developmental Disabilities
HELPS Inc. is a five-centre study across three provinces - Ontario, Quebec and Nova Scotia - that will gather information from parents, teachers and health care providers on their efforts to help preschoolers with developmental disabilities make the transition into school. This information will be used to develop tools to ease this transition and support the inclusion of preschoolers with developmental disabilities in school activities.
Role: CoInvestigator
Year Funded: 2009
Duration: 3
Funded by: Canadian Institutes of Health Research

Sport participation in youth with intellectual disabilities: Who gets and stays involved?
Participation in sport is an important activity for Canadian youth with and without disabilities, linked to numerous benefits. Youth with intellectual disabilities, who represent approximately 2% of the Canadian population, often struggle to access typical recreational, leisure, and social activities. We aim to identify factors that lead to involvement and retention in sport for youth with intellectual disabilities.
Role: Principal Investigator
Year Funded: 2013
Duration: 3
Funded by: Other...
Other funding: Department of Canadian Heritage (Sport Canada) and SSHRC

Understanding pathways to emergency healthcare for adolescents and adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder
This 3 year project will follow youth and adults with autism spectrum disorders and their families from across Ontario to help us identify why some individuals and their families go into crisis and require emergency health services. This project should help us to equip people with autism spectrum disorders and their families about how to use emergency services and planned health services in the best way possible. Findings from the project should also inform policy on how we treat this most vulnerable population so that their health needs can be better met in the future.
Role: Co-Principal Investigator
Year Funded: 2010
Duration: 3
Funded by: Canadian Institutes of Health Research