LEADERSHIP TEAM

Dr. Michael D. Powers is the Director of The Center for Children with Special Needs in Glastonbury, Connecticut and Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychology at the Yale Child Study Center, Yale University School of Medicine. He completed his undergraduate and graduate training at Rutgers College, Columbia, and Rutgers University. Dr. Powers specializes in the diagnosis, assessment, and treatment of individuals with autism and related developmental disabilities and has published and presented extensively on these topics. He is also the author of Asperger Syndrome and Your Child , the editor of the award-winning book Children with Autism: A Parent’s Guide, (second edition), and co-editor (with Drs. Volkmar, Pelphry & Rogers) of the Encyclopedia of Autism Spectrum Disorders. Dr. Powers has been involved in designing educational programs, staff training, and in program evaluation for students with autism spectrum disorders throughout the United States and abroad for over 40 years. He has worked with the Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia in Lima, Peru; The Marcus Autism Center in Atlanta, GA; the University of the Arctic, Tromso, Norway; York District Regional School Board in Ontario, Canada; Foundation Fabietti in Arezzo, Siena, and Prato, Italy; the Bedfordshire County Council (UK) School Improvement Division; the Utah, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, and Florida State Departments of Education; and various regional and local school districts. Dr. Powers is a member of the Professional Advisory Board of MAAP Services for Autism and Asperger Syndrome, The Geneva Centre for Autism in Toronto, and former member of the Board of Directors of the Autism Society of America.

Dr. Mark Palmieri is a licensed psychologist, Board Certified Behavior Analyst, and the Assistant Director of Center for Children with Special Needs (CCSN). He provides psychological evaluations, co-directs the Feeding Clinic and the Behavioral Sleep Clinic, and supports program development for clinical and school consultation services.  He leads capacity development initiatives which establish sustainable educational programs for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder and other complex neurodevelopmental disabilities. Additionally, he is currently leading project development throughout CCSN to expand clinical services to increase access to high quality evidence-based practices throughout the community.  Dr. Palmieri is also an Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychology at the Yale Child Study Center, Yale University School of Medicine.

Along with Ms. Kristen Powers, Dr. Palmieri is the co-author of the book, Feeding Your Child with Autism: A Family-Centered Guide to Meeting the Challenges. He has lectured both nationally and internationally on topics such as behavioral assessment and treatment planning, consultation and program development, and the treatment of feeding and other complex behavioral disorders.

He received his doctoral degree from the Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology at Rutgers University. Before joining CCSN, Dr. Palmieri completed his predoctoral rotations at the May Institute where he provided school consultation services and behavioral treatments for individuals with Autism and other developmental disabilities as well as for individuals with traumatic brain injuries. He also facilitated school-wide positive behavior support programming in schools across New Jersey as part of a state initiative sponsored through the New Jersey Department of Education in collaboration with the Elizabeth M. Boggs Center on Developmental Disabilities.

Dr. Courtney Cotter is a licensed psychologist, Board Certified Behavior Analyst, and the Director of School Based Consultative Services. She provides psychological evaluations and direct school consultation services to complex learners, as well as helping to oversee school consultation services to develop capacity for educating learners with complex learning needs.
Courtney received her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Western Michigan University. Before joining CCSN, she completed her predoctoral internship at the Child Development Center of Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio and a postdoctoral fellowship at the Munroe Meyer Institute in Omaha, Nebraska. During her postdoctoral fellowship, Courtney participated in the Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disorders (LEND) program. Rotations during her postdoctoral fellowship included providing therapy and assessment services to typically developing children as well as children with Autism Spectrum Disorders, as well as assessment of infants at risk for developmental delay following extended stays in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Courtney also has a BS in Elementary Education from Keene State College in New Hampshire.

Dr. Heather Flynn is a licensed psychologist and the Director of Clinical Services at CCSN. She conducts psychological and educational evaluations, provides program observations, and supervises social thinking groups. Dr. Flynn oversees the diagnostic evaluation process and CCSN’s Behavioral Health services, and leads the graduate Internship Program.

Dr. Flynn received her Ph.D. in School Psychology from the University of Connecticut. Prior to joining CCSN, she worked as a school psychologist in public elementary schools in Newton and Needham, MA. In addition, Dr. Flynn served as Site Director for Aspire (formerly known as YouthCare, a therapeutic program affiliated with Massachusetts General Hospital) where she supervised the administrative, clinical, and programmatic operations of the summer camp program for children and adolescents diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders. Dr. Flynn has also been an Adjunct Professor at Northeastern University and Suffolk University in Boston, MA where she taught graduate level courses in psychological assessment.

Coming Soon

Seth Powers serves as the Director of Development and Business Operations for The Center for Children with Special Needs (CCSN).  Seth is responsible for developing business and operational models to support CCSN’s clinical priorities.  A primary focus for Seth and the CCSN team is to identify ways to expand the reach and access of current clinical services to new populations and communities while also generating new and innovative ways to support the clinical needs for traditionally under-served populations.
Prior to joining CCSN in 2016 Seth held a variety of roles in the insurance industry, working for The Hartford Insurance Group and Travelers.  Seth’s experience in prior positions include roles in Business Development, Operations, Sales & Underwriting, Marketing, and Project Management.  Seth hold a B.S. from James Madison University in Interdisciplinary Social Sciences with a minor in Secondary Education as well as a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Connecticut with a concentration in Management.  Seth is currently enrolled in the Advanced Professional MPH program at the Yale School of Public Health with a concentration in the Global Health track.