Michelle Lane

Michelle Lane was the founder of the Lane Montessori School for Autism (previously known as the Toronto Montessori School for Autism) in Toronto, Canada. This not for profit school was the first of its kind to combine Applied Behaviour Analysis with the Montessori curriculum in the world. TMSA/LMSA ran from 2003-2010.

In 2005, Michelle was awarded The Premier’s Award from the Ontario government in recognition of her outstanding work in special education and Montessori.  Michelle, who attended Montessori as a child, works as a Professor for the Faculty of Applied Health and Community Studies at Sheridan College. She also lectures on her Montessori ABA (Applied Behaviour Analysis) therapy program and has been a keynote speaker for conferences in various cities in Canada, the United States, Australia, China and Czech Republic. She co-chairs the advisory board for MMPI (Montessori Medical Partnership for Inclusion) with Dr Joyce Pickering.

Michelle is currently a doctoral candidate for the Doctorate in Health at the University of Bath (UK). She has a Master of Health Studies as well as certification in Cognitive Behaviour Therapy for children and youth. She is an AMS credentialed Montessori teacher (early childhood) and a registered early childhood educator. Her thesis research, which won the 2017 AMS Master Thesis Award, titled Montessori and Autism: An Interpretive Description Study, can be found here.

Michelle was a board member of MJDS (Montessori Jewish Day School), a not-for-profit Montessori School in Toronto. MJDS is the only accredited Montessori Jewish Day school in Canada supporting students from Toddler to grade 8.

Michelle’s books can be purchased on this website which includes Autism: A Montessori Approach paperback published in 2009, and 5 program tracking manuals for implementing her Montessori ABA approach for children with autism. In 2019 she authored a chapter in Dr Joyce Pickering’s book, Montessori Strategies for children with learning differences which can be purchased through Parent Child Press and Amazon

Michelle has two boys, Amos (pronounced Ahhmose)  and Jaguan who also attended Montessori school.