Biography

Shelly J. Lane is a distinguished occupational therapist, researcher, and educator, and a Professor in the Department of Occupational Therapy at Colorado State University. With more than four decades of experience in occupational therapy, her academic and clinical work has made significant contributions to the understanding of sensory integration, sensory processing, neuroscience, and occupation. She holds a Ph.D. in Anatomy with an emphasis in Neurosciences and has extensive training and experience in Sensory Integration.

Sensory Integration & Professional Experience

Throughout her career, Dr. Lane has held academic, research, clinical, and leadership positions at several universities and institutions in the United States and Australia. She has also been extensively involved in teaching Sensory Integration nationally and internationally through Sensory Integration International.

Research & Neuroscientific Foundations

A major focus of Dr. Lane’s scholarship has been exploring the neuroscientific foundations of sensory integration and their relationship to participation and occupational performance.

Her research has addressed sensory processing and sensory over-responsivity, physiological arousal and stress, autism and ADHD, praxis, deep pressure, and the neural foundations of Ayres Sensory Integration®. Her work has contributed to both the theoretical foundations and evidence base of sensory integration within occupational therapy.

Professional Recognition

Dr. Lane has received numerous professional honors throughout her career, including being named a Fellow of the American Occupational Therapy Association (FAOTA) and receiving the A. Jean Ayres Award. Most recently, she was selected to receive the Eleanor Clarke Slagle Lectureship Award, regarded as the highest academic honor of the American Occupational Therapy Association, in recognition of her significant contributions to the profession’s body of knowledge.

Through decades of research, teaching, mentorship, and international collaboration, Dr. Lane continues to advance the scientific understanding of sensory integration and its neurobiological foundations, bridging neuroscience and occupational therapy practice.