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Kari Sassu Ph.D., NCSP |
Dr. Kari Sassu is the Director of the Center of Excellence on Autism Spectrum Disorder and a Professor in the Department of Counselor Education at Southern Connecticut State University. She brings extensive experience working with individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) across educational and clinical settings. Her work has focused on conducting comprehensive assessments, developing individualized intervention plans, implementing strength-based supports for individuals with ASD, and delivering direct services aimed at fostering personal growth and facilitating successful navigation of life transitions.
Dr. Sassu is deeply committed to community engagement and professional service. She currently serves on several state-level boards, including: the Autism Spectrum Disorders Advisory Council (Connecticut Office of Policy and Management) and the Institutional Review Board for the Department of Developmental Disabilities. Previously, she served as a member of the Board of Directors for the Connecticut Alliance to Benefit Law Enforcement and as a member of her local Board of Education.
In 2022, Dr. Sassu received a Presidential Citation from the American Psychological Association in recognition of her work promoting positive experiences and community connection for individuals with autism.
Dr. Sassu’s academic and professional qualifications include:
- Ph.D., Educational Psychology – University of Connecticut
- Sixth Year Professional Diploma, School Psychology – University of Connecticut
- M.A., School Psychology- University of Connecticut
- Sixth Year Professional Diploma, Educational Leadership – Southern Connecticut State University
- M.S., Psychological Services – University of Pennsylvania
- B.A., Psychology – University of Pennsylvania
- Licensed Psychologist (Connecticut)
- Nationally Certified School Psychologist (NCSP)
- Certified School Psychologist (Connecticut)
- Certified School Administrator (Connecticut)
Away from her professional responsibilities, Dr. Sassu enjoys spending time in nature with her family. She is the mother of three teenagers, one of whom has ASD.
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Fred R. Volkmar, M.D. |
Fred R. Volkmar, M.D., is the Goodwin Endowed chair of Special Education (part-time) at Southern and also (part-time) the Irving B. Harris Professor of Child Psychiatry, Pediatrics, and Psychology at the Yale University Child Study Center. He has served as Director (chair) of the Child Study Center as well as Chief of Child Psychiatry at Yale-New Haven Hospital, New Haven, CT. A graduate of the University of Illinois where he received an undergraduate degree in psychology in 1972 and of Stanford University where he received his MD and a master’s degree in psychology in 1976. Dr. Volkmar was the primary author of the American Psychiatric Association’s DSM-IV autism and pervasive developmental disorders section. He is the author of several hundred scientific papers and chapters as well as many books including Asperger’s Syndrome (Guilford Press), Health Care for Children on the Autism Spectrum (Woodbine Publishing), the Handbook of Autism (Wiley Publishing) and the 3rd edition of Autism and Pervasive Developmental Disorders (Cambridge University Press) published this year. He has served for a number of years as the Editor of the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders and the Encyclopedia of Autism. He has been an Associate Editor of the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disabilities, the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, and the American Journal of Psychiatry and now serves as Editor of the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disabilities. He has served as co-chairperson of the autism/intellectual disabilities committee of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. In addition to having directed the internationally known autism clinic, he also served as director of autism research at Yale before becoming chairperson of the Department. Dr. Volkmar has been the principal investigator of three program project grants including a CPEA (Collaborative Program of Excellent in Autism) grant from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and a STAART (Studies to Advance Autism Research and Treatment) Autism Center Grant from the National Institute of Mental Health. He is the author of several hundred publications.
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Mark Groskreutz, PhD, BCBA-D, LBA -CT, MA |
Mark Groskreutz, Ph. D., an Associate Professor, is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA-D) who has worked with individuals with ASDs from young children to elderly populations in public and private school settings, their homes, and vocational and community settings. Dr. Groskreutz is focused on helping individuals increase their happiness and independence. His experience has focused primarily on designing individualized social and educational curricula, interventions for challenging behavior, classroom-specific and district-wide professional development programs, and research studies based on the principles of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA). Dr. Groskreutz is also the coordinator of Southern’s graduate programs in ABA.
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Dr. Meghan (Brahm) Gleeson, BCBA, LBA-CT |
Dr. Meghan Brahm, BCBA, is an Associate Professor at Southern Connecticut State University in the Department of Special Education, teaching in the Autism Spectrum Disorders and Applied Behavior Analysis concentrations, and is a Research Scientist in Center of Excellence on ASD. Dr. Brahm completed her Ph.D. at the National University of Ireland, Galway in Psychology and ABA in 2018. Her doctoral work focused on epidemiological studies of ASD, including the evaluation of weight-related maternal risk factors for the development of ASD in offspring and the application of ABA to manage disordered eating, pre-pregnancy. Dr. Brahm received her Master’s degree in 2012 from The University of Saint Joseph in West Hartford, Connecticut in special education, ASD, and ABA after completing her Bachelors in 2009 at Eastern Connecticut State University in Psychology, focusing on the psychology of childhood and adolescence and ABA. Dr. Brahm is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst who has worked both domestically and internationally as a practitioner and consultant across a multitude of settings, supervising evidence-based interventions to support individuals with ASD and developmental disabilities of varying ages. At current, Dr. Brahm’s work focuses on researching and delivering effective training services to school-based personnel, families, and community service providers to increase the integrity with which evidence-based practices are used to support individuals with ASD.
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Deborah Puglia (203) 392-5929
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Deborah Puglia is a University Assistant for the Center of Excellence on Autism Spectrum Disorders. She joined the Center team after retiring from a thirty-six-year career as a Special Education teacher and administrator in the Connecticut Public School System. Throughout her career, Deborah was active in the Connecticut State Department of Education’s BEST and TEAM initiatives as a mentor trainer, assessor, portfolio scorer, and module scorer. She has developed and facilitated many professional development trainings for educators, parents, paraprofessionals, and community organizations. Ms. Puglia holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Special Education and a Sixth Year Professional Diploma in Educational Leadership. As a member of the CEASD team, she supports the Center’s divisions of Training, Research, and Direct Services.
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Peter A. Wasiuk, Au.D., Ph.D., CCC-A (203) 392-7125
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Dr. Peter A. Wasiuk, Au.D., Ph.D., CCC-A is a hearing scientist and audiologist with interdisciplinary training in clinical audiology, cognitive psychology, and speech and language processing. He completed his Au.D. at the University of Massachusetts Amherst (2018), where he received his clinical training in audiology and worked in the laboratory of Dr. Karen Helfer. He then completed his Ph.D. in the Department of Psychological Sciences at Case Western Reserve University (2022), where he worked in the Speech and Auditory Research Lab (SpAR Lab) under the advisement of Dr. Lauren Calandruccio. Upon completing his dissertation, which was conducted in collaboration with Dr. Emily Buss at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, he began his tenure as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication Disorders at Southern Connecticut State University.
Dr. Wasiuk’s primary research interests include exploring the way that individuals perceive, comprehend, and remember spoken language heard in challenging listening environments (e.g., those with competing talkers, background noise, and other forms of auditory distraction).
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Eileen Farmer Program Assistant
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Eileen came to the Center in 2020. She oversees the day-to-day office activities along with any administrative duties associated with programs and presentations. She has been instrumental in growing many of the current programs. Her background is in program organization and education.
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Samantha Honnert Research Assistant
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Samantha Honnert, MA, MS, and Ph.D. candidate from Palo Alto University, is the research assistant for the Center of Excellence on Autism Spectrum Disorders. Since the start of her graduate studies, she has had a focus on research and has completed research with the Stanford Center for Interdisciplinary Brain Sciences (CIBSR and BGAP Study) and the Center for the Study and Treatment of Anxious Youth, and more. She was a lead author of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: Efficacy and Effectiveness in Youth, for the internationally renowned Beck Center for CBT. Additionally, she has 10+ years of experience working with individuals with autism in therapeutic settings, group settings, and transition settings. Samantha is currently building the curriculum for the College Connections Program, which provides young adults with autism in a college setting with social and academic support. Samantha’s background in research is being applied across many new and ongoing projects with the center.
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Bridget Gogliettino University Assistant
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Bridget joined the center team in the fall of 2025. She graduated from Mercy University with a B.A. in English and a minor in Sociology. She is excited to be working at SCSU and is eager to gain experience within the field of higher education.
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Sarah Locascio Graduate Assistant
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Sarah Locascio was born and raised in Durham, CT. She completed her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology at Suffolk University in Boston, MA, and is currently pursuing her Master's Degree in Marriage and Family Therapy at Southern Connecticut State University.
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Jassmyn Lonski Graduate Assistant
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Jassmyne Lonski started with the center in the Fall of 2025, working as a graduate assistant with our College Connection Program. She received her Bachelor’s in Spanish from the University of Iowa, and she is currently working toward a Master of Family Therapy (MFT) degree here at SCSU. When not at the Education Center, she can be found studying, watching psychological thrillers, or playing with her cat, Dooby.
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Avonlea Clemmensen Student Worker
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See also: Center Advisory Boards.