Rate My Professor Megan Hatfield

Dr. Megan Hatfield is a Senior Lecturer in the Curtin School of Allied Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, at Curtin University in Perth, Australia. She holds a BSc (Honours) in Occupational Therapy and a PhD in Occupational Therapy, both from Curtin University. Her PhD research focused on the development and evaluation of the BOOST-A™ program, a web-based intervention to support adolescents on the autism spectrum in transition planning for post-school outcomes, including employment readiness and future job pathways. This led to key publications such as the pilot study in the Australian Occupational Therapy Journal (2017), process evaluation in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders (2017), and effectiveness study in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health (2017). Hatfield has been affiliated with Curtin since at least 2016, initially as a tutor in the School of Occupational Therapy, Social Work and Speech Pathology, advancing to her current lecturing position.

Her research interests encompass child and adolescent development, autism spectrum disorders, inclusive education, prewriting skills, maternal health occupational therapy, mindfulness interventions, and facility dogs in schools. Recent publications include “He Helps Keep Me Calm and More Focused”: Experiences with a School Facility Dog (2026), Efficacy of a prewriting intervention: A pilot randomised control trial (Australian Occupational Therapy Journal, 2025), Safety, Connection, and Personal Growth: Experiences of Tabletop Role Play Game Groups Amongst Autistic Adolescents and Emerging Adults (Autism in Adulthood, 2025), 'I couldn't change his nappy': New mothers' experiences of De Quervain's tendinosis and its impact on occupational performance (2025), Compassionate pedagogy: Principles and methods for allied health education (Journal of University Teaching & Learning Practice, 2025), and Occupational therapy in maternal health: Exploring the Barkin Index of Maternal Functioning as a potential tool (2024). With 477 citations on Google Scholar, her work impacts paediatric occupational therapy practices. A member of the Curtin Autism Research Group, she contributed to transition planning research and received the 2019 Curtin Early Career Research Excellence Award. She serves on committees like the 2021 National Allied Health Conference Scientific Committee and teaches paediatric occupational therapy.