Christopher Abildgaard

Education

Ed.D, Loyola University Chicago, IL

MA, Southern Connecticut State University, CT

BA, Wheaton College, MA

Chris earned his Doctor of Education in School Psychology from Loyola University Chicago, is a Nationally Certified School Psychologist & a Licensed Professional Counselor with a specialization in Autism Spectrum Disorders and Neurodiverse learners. Chris also holds a Graduate Certificate from the University of Massachusetts Lowell in Behavioral Interventions in Autism.

Along with his Part Time Faculty position at the University of Hartford in the Psychology Department, Chris the owner and director of the Social Learning Center (SLC), LLC. located in Cheshire, CT. The SLC offers a range of therapeutic services including mental health counseling, educational consultation, professional development, executive function coaching and parent advocacy. While still maintaining a clinical case load, numerous school consultations and national speaking engagements, Chris brings his 20-year background and expertise in neurodevelopmental disabilities, mental health counseling and school psychology to both undergraduate and graduate students. Chris has had the opportunity to invite top students down to intern at the SLC to gain hands-on experience in the area of mental health counseling, autism spectrum disorders and child development.

In addition to his clinical, consultation and supervision duties at the SLC and teaching at the University of Hartford, Chris will be publishing a book with Routledge Publishing in 2025 entitled “Effective Counseling Techniques When Working with People with ASD & Their Families”.

Research Interests

• Examining educational and mental health services for individuals with high and moderate needs following their transition from public school education.
• The effectiveness of teacher training in executive functioning and impact on referrals to Special Education.
• Assessing culturally responsible methods of parent engagement for special educators and related service providers.
• Examining the early development of executive functioning and its impact on social and academic development.