Pediatric Therapeutics co-founder and co-director, Sheila Allen, is a licensed occupational therapist with over thirty years clinical experience. She specializes in sensory processing and is especially interested in the relationship between sound & movement and behavior. Sheila’s appreciation for the value of sound in fostering change and supporting function is integral to her work.
Sheila holds a BS in Occupational Therapy from Utica College of Syracuse University and a MA in Psychology from Teachers’ College, Columbia University. She is certified in the administration and interpretation of the Sensory Integration and Praxis Tests. Sheila is trained/certified in many sound/music-based interventions, and in methods including Craniosacral Therapy, Myofascial Release, Neurodevelopmental Treatment and Brain Gym. Her ever-growing passion to better understand the elements of sound and their role in daily living is key to her clinical work, teaching, consultation, product development, and study.
Sheila maintains an active clinical caseload and collaborates with schools, hospitals, and professionals of varied backgrounds in areas including program development, intervention and wellness strategies, OT practice, research, and advocacy. New to the world of music production, she is a creator and producer of inTime, a music- listening method emphasizing rhythm, sound frequency and beat-based activities, released by Advanced Brain Technologies, Ogden UT in early 2014. A longstanding member of the teaching faculty, product development team and scientific advisory board of Advanced Brain Technologies, Sheila also hosts an educational radio show for providers of The Listening Program and inTime.
A former adjunct instructor at The Bank Street School, NYC, Sheila currently provides clinical instruction to OT fieldwork students onsite at Pediatric Therapeutics. She teaches at conferences and courses and mentors professionals internationally.
Sheila serves on the advisory board of Vocal Images, NYC, and was a founding member of the Board of Directors of the Darcy School, now Chatham Day School, in Chatham, NJ.
Parents of two grown daughters, Sheila and her husband, Douglas Allen, live in Chatham, NJ and South Hero, VT with their golden retriever.