ABOUT
Get to Know Me
and My Approach

ABOUT ME
Allison Johnson, O.T. &
Child Development Specialist
Allison is an experienced Early Intervention Specialist and Pediatric Occupational Therapist, providing services to children ages 0-3 for the last 11 years. She has been practicing as an OT for 20 years, having earned her Master’s Degree in Occupational Therapy from Tufts University in Boston, MA, in 2005. As part of her graduate program, she completed a 13-week full-time internship at Franciscan Hospital for Children, where she evaluated and treated children with a range of special needs in both school and home-based early intervention settings. In 2006, Allison moved to London, where she lived and worked for eight years. The UK did not have similar early intervention services, but she gained valuable experience in Orthopedic Rehabilitation, Hand Therapy, Acute & Stroke Rehabilitation, and Older Adult Care. She later served as Team Leader for a Community Stroke Rehabilitation Team for five years, further developing her leadership and clinical skills.
Upon returning to the U.S. in 2013, Allison re-focused on her passion for early intervention and pediatric OT services in New Jersey, and later in North Carolina. For the past six years, she has provided in-home and daycare-based therapy to infants and young children in the Raleigh area. Her work supports children with diagnoses such as Down Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, Hydrocephalus, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Sensory Processing Disorder, Global Developmental Delays, TAR Syndrome, Prader-Willi Syndrome, and more.
As a mother of two active boys (ages 12 and 8), Allison brings both professional expertise and personal understanding to her practice. Her own experiences with lip and tongue ties, feeding difficulties, speech delays, sensory sensitivities, anxiety, picky eating, and developmental hip dysplasia have given her a compassionate and practical perspective on the challenges parents can face.
Allison stays up-to-date with current research and intervention strategies. Her recent trainings include evaluation and treatment for retained primitive reflexes, sensory processing, executive functioning, and emotional regulation. She offers in-person evaluations and therapy, as well as virtual coaching treatment sessions (private pay only, with the exception of services provided under the umbrella of the CDSA's Infant Toddler Program).
MY APPROACH
Partnering with Parents, Personalizing Plans, Guiding Every Child’s Unique Journey
Allison is passionate about building strong, trusting relationships with the children and families she serves—helping each child develop the confidence and skills to thrive. Allison’s therapeutic approach emphasizes parent/caregiver coaching and direct interventions including sensory integration, gross and fine motor development, self-regulation strategies, self-help/adaptive skills, and attention-building techniques. She strongly believes that progress is best achieved when families are actively involved. She works closely with parents and caregivers to develop individualized goals and treatment plans that suit each child’s unique needs—helping families “find the right trail” for their child’s developmental journey.
