Shelly Lane

Prof Lane has been working to understand the neural mechanisms underlying disorders of sensory integration and processing since the early 2000’s. There has been a surge of interest in developing this understanding as these disorders are being recognized more broadly, and researched by professionals both within and outside of the profession of occupational therapy. Prof Lane and her colleagues have found that there are autonomic nervous system (ANS) differences between typical children and children with diagnoses such as autism or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, along with disorders of sensory integration and processing. Future work will further characterize ANS responses to everyday sensation, and to sensory-based interventions in children, both with and without other diagnoses.

Prof  Lane has other interesting projects in process, collaborating with colleagues in the university and the community. Studies underway include those examining

• Father/child playfulness, working with colleagues in the Family Action Centre
• Fussy eating, sensory responsiveness, parenting stress, working with community clinical partners
• Efficacy of sensory diets, working with colleagues at Gosford Hospital

Career summary

Shelly J Lane is a Professor of Occupational Therapy. Her occupational therapy career began as a clinician, working with young children in the public schools in the USA. Having decided she did not fully understand the neural underpinnings of the challenges facing these students, Prof Lane entered a PhD program in Anatomy and Cell Biology, with a focus on neuroscience. Her doctoral work investigated the impact of drug dependence and withdrawal on second messenger systems in the cerebellum. After completing her doctoral work Prof Lane completed a two-year post-doctoral fellowship at the UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute, working with Dr. Edward Ornitz to examine the startle reflex in children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

On completing her post-doctoral work, Prof Lane held a joint clinical/academic position at the University of Alabama, Birmingham and the Sparks Centre; Prof Lane was the Director of Occupational Therapy at the Sparks Centre.  Moving on from this position, Prof Lane began a robust research career, examining correlates, mechanisms, and interventions for children at high risk for developmental challenges. She engaged in locally funded research on the developmental sequelae of preterm birth at the University of Edmonton, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, the impact of prenatal substance exposure on development in young children at the State University of New York at Buffalo (UB), Buffalo, NY. While at UB Prof Lane also received local funding for examining the use of assistive technology to promote the development of play in young children with delays. This project later became a multi-year, multi-disciplinary, funded study (US Department of Education) focused on the development of a unique model of intervention that included a toy and assistive technology lending library. Although this project ended several years ago, the Let’s Play! materials developed by this multi-disciplinary teach, for caregivers and therapists, continue to be available on the web. Prof Lane has continued her interest in play and playfulness, working briefly with the Sydney Playground Project and now working with Dr Jennifer St George on playfulness in father/child dyads.

Prof Lane moved to Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) where she served as Department Chair for 9 years and Assistant Dean for Research for 4 years, and conducted research studying neurophysiologic correlates of sensory processing in children with autism and/or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. At VCU she established the Sensory Processing and Stress Evaluation (SPASE) Laboratory where she and her team completed several studies on sensory processing disorders. Linked with this lab, Prof Lane worked with other colleagues on establishing age norms for the development of ideational and ideomotor praxis in young children. Other recent work includes expansion of a program working with pre-schoolers who experienced early trauma to include sensory processing approaches.
Prof Lane joined the University of Newcastle in July, 2015, where she is working on a nuber of projects related to her wider areas of interest.