integrated Center for Autism Spectrum Disorders (iCASD)
Munroe-Meyer Institute
985450 Nebraska Medical Center
Omaha, NE 68198-5450
Professional Summary
Sarah Connolly, PhD, BCBA-D, ABPP, is an Assistant Professor in the integrated Center for Autism Spectrum Disorders at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) Munroe-Meyer Institute. Dr. Connolly is also the Coordinator of the Building Relationships in Dyad and Group Environments (BRIDGE) program that provides group-based applied behavior analysis services to children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder.
Dr. Connolly received her Master’s and Doctoral degrees in School Psychology at Ball State University, specializing in Autism and Applied Behavior Analysis, under the mentorship of Dr. Susan Wilczynski. She completed her APA-accredited internship and fellowship in psychology at the Marcus Autism Center and Emory University School of Medicine, under the supervision of Dr. Alice Shillingsburg. Prior to joining the MMI faculty, Dr. Connolly worked with individuals with autism and neurodevelopmental disorders across a range of settings including academic medical centers, residential and educational programs, and early intervention clinics. Her research and clinical interests include skill acquisition in children with ASD, teaching social skills in naturalistic environments, expanding communication skills using speech-generating devices, parent-mediated interventions, and early identification of ASD. Dr. Connolly provides both diagnostic and intervention services through iCASD and supervises pre-doctoral psychology interns at MMI through the Nebraska Internship Consortium in Professional Psychology. Dr. Connolly serves on the editorial board for Psychology in the Schools.
Specialty Certifications
- Board Certified in Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology
- Board Certified Behavior Analyst – Doctoral
- Licensed Psychologist
Education
- PhD, Ball State University, 2015
- MA, Ball State University, 2010
- BA, Northwestern College, 2009
Teaching
- Introduction to Applied Behavior Analysis
- Advanced Applied Behavior Analysis
- Behavior Consultation
- Behavior Change Procedures
- Human Development Across the Lifespan
Special/Research Interests and Projects
- Implementation of group-based applied behavior analysis services
- Promoting social skills in naturalistic settings
- Expanding communication skills using speech-generating devices
- Family-informed care and caregiver-mediated interventions
- Diagnostic assessment and early identification of autism spectrum disorder
Selected Publications (within the last 5 years)
-
Frampton, S. E., Connolly, S.C., Landa, R. K., & Shillingsburg, M. A. (2021). Autism Spectrum Disorder. In H. Friedman & P. Markey (Eds.), Encyclopedia of mental health (3rd). Elsevier.
-
Connolly, S., Cruse Grasser, K., Chung, W., Tabern, K., Guiou, T., Wynn, J., & Fristad, M. (2018). Multi-family psychoeducational psychotherapy (MF-PEP) for children with high functioning autism spectrum disorder. Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy.
Professional Affiliations
- Association for Behavior Analysis International
- American Psychological Association
Awards
- MMI Guild Grant (2022)