Dr. Cascio is a Professor of Psychology and Senior Scientist in the Life Span Institute at KU. Her lab focuses on the neural basis of sensory and affective differences in individuals with autism. She is interested in how differences in sensory processing, particularly those related to body sensing, may impact core autism symptoms and individual health behaviors in autistic people. Her background and degree are in human cognitive and systems neuroscience, and her lab uses behavioral, neuroimaging, and physiological approaches to study autism across the lifespan. Her training and early career took her on a tour of the Southeast, with stops at Emory University, University of North Carolina, and Vanderbilt University, where she was on the faculty until she became a proud new Jayhawk in 2025.