Sheilah M. Gauch

Sheilah M. Gauch is the Principal and Clinical Director of Dearborn Academy, a therapeutic day school that services students with social/emotional and learning needs. She is also a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker and educator with over 20 years of experience working with and advocating for students with complex mental health needs. In addition to her work with students, Sheilah engages with caregivers, school districts, and mental health professionals through consultation, training, and public speaking.

Sheilah has two of her own children, whose mental health issues were ultimately diagnosed as PANS/PANDAS. She co-led the creation of the Massachusetts Coalition for PANS/PANDAS Legislation which successfully championed the passage of an insurance mandate for the sickest children in the Commonwealth with this illness, as well as established a DPH PANS/PANDAS Advisory Council, where she serves as the co-chair. She is also a board member of the Alex Manfull Fund and co-founded a national legislative advocacy group, National Alliance for PANS/PANDAS Action (NAPPA). Sheilah received the 2020 Commonwealth Heroine Award for her work on the MA PANS/PANDAS Legislation as well as her leadership as the Chair of her local Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SEPAC).