Sheila Allen, MA, OT
A licensed occupational therapist with nearly forty years clinical experience, Sheila specializes in sensory processing and is especially interested in the relationship between sound & movement and behavior. Her 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. A most important endeavor within her career was the co-founding of Pediatric Therapeutics pediatric therapy center in 1986, and her years as its co-director which came to an end at the close of 2019 with Pediatric Therapeutics’ reorganization and relocation. Pediatric Therapeutics has entered a new phase, as the therapy studio of Sheila and former center co-director and colleague, Anne Toolajian. In the world of music production, she is a creator and producer of inTime, a music- listening method emphasizing beat/rhythm, sound frequency and beat-keeping and rhythm making activities, released by Advanced Brain Technologies, Ogden UT in 2014 and currently used worldwide. A longstanding member of the teaching faculty, product development team and scientific advisory board of Advanced Brain Technologies, Sheila also hosted an educational radio show for providers of The Listening Program and inTime, and participates in web-based learning offerings in addition to teaching live courses.
A former adjunct instructor at The Bank Street School, NYC, Sheila currently provides level one clinical instruction to OT fieldwork students. She teaches, speaks and mentors internationally.
Sheila serves on the Board of Directors of Kids Rehab Gym, Williston, VT and on the advisory board of Vocal Images, NYC. She was a founding member of the Board of Directors of the Darcy School, now Chatham Day School, in Chatham, NJ. She also volunteers for Northeast Disabled Athletic Association Adaptive Kayaking.
Parents of two grown daughters, Sheila and her husband, Douglas Allen, live in Chatham, NJ and South Hero, VT with their golden retriever.