Faculty & Staff Details
Kwang-Sun Cho Blair, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Division of Applied Research and Educational Support (DARES)
Brief Biography
Dr. Blair is an associate professor in the Department of Child and Family Studies and the Division of Applied Research and Educational Support (DARES). She serves as a faculty member within the ABA Master's Program. She earned her doctorate in emotional and behavioral disorders from the University of Arizona in 1996 and conducted post-doctoral research in 1997 with a specialty in functional assessment and intervention for young children with challenging behaviors in community settings. She was an associate professor in the Department of Special Education at the Kongju National University, South Korea, and served as the director of the graduate school of special education and the clinical director for the Center for Children with Developmental Disabilities prior to her appointment at the University of South Florida. Dr. Blair has an extensive teaching and program development record in early intervention and early childhood special education and research. Dr. Blair served as PIs on projects related to the development of an early identification and intervention service model, developmental assessment instruments, and a web-based expert system for young children with special needs. She serves on the editorial boards of Topics in Early Childhood Special Education, Korean Journal of Early Childhood Special Education, and other major journals in special education in Korea and has written and conducted numerous research on effective instruction, challenging behavior, and translating research to practice for young children with disabilities. She recently served as the editor for Korean Journal of Early Childhood Special Education, Vice President of the Korean Association of Early Childhood Special Education, and on the Korea Ministry of Education Advisory Committee.
Key Publications
1. Promoting Inclusion and Peer Participation through Assessment-Based Intervention
This study evaluated the usefulness of function-based intervention as a tool in supporting inclusive placements of a young child with autism and challenging behavior. The intervention produced lower levels of challenging behavior and higher levels of appropriate behavior of the child across activities. Levels of positive interaction by the teacher and a typically developing peer also improved.
Primary Focus: Developing and implementing function-based intervention for young children with disabilities and challenging behavior in inclusive settings
Key Words: functional assessment, function-based intervention, multi-component intervention, generality, young children with autism
APA citation: Blair, K. C., Umbreit, J., Dunlap, G., & Jung, G. (2007). Promoting inclusion and peer participation through assessment-based intervention. Topics in Early Childhood Special Education, 27(3), 134-147.
Contact Person: Kwang-Sun Cho Blair
Contact e-mail: kblair@fmhi.usf.edu
2. Function-based Intervention to support the Inclusive Placements of Young children in Korea
This study examined the impact of functional behavioral assessment and function-based intervention methods on problem and appropriate behaviors of three young children with severe mental retardation in a public school classroom in South Korea. This study provided initial evidence that function-based intervention procedures can be used successfully with students from non-English language populations and in settings outside of the U.S.
Primary Focus: Primary Focus: Applying function-based intervention approaches to children with disabilities from non-English language populations and in settings outside of the U.S.
Key Words: functional assessment, function-based intervention, preference, young children with mental retardation, generality, social validity
APA citation: Blair, K. C., Liaupsin, C. J., Umbreit, J., & Kweon, G. (2006). Function-based intervention to support the inclusive placements of young children in Korea. Education and Training in Developmental Disabilities, 41(1), 48-57.
3. Analysis of Multiple Variables Related to A Young Child’s Aggressive Behavior
This study examined, with a child with developmental delay and his peers in a childcare center, the impact of multiple antecedent and consequent variables on the likelihood that problem and/or appropriate behaviors would occur. The experimental assessment revealed that ratio of toys to peers affected the rate of aggression. When social skills were taught, the aggression virtually nonexistence and the use of appropriate social behavior by the children increased even when there was an unfavorable ratio of toys to peers.
Primary Focus: Identifying antecedent and consequent variables, Social skills training to improve positive interactions among young children
Key Words: functional assessment, structural analysis, social skills training, antecedent variables, young children with developmental delay
APA citation: Blair, K. C., Umbreit, J. & Eck, S. (2000). Analysis of multiple variables related to a young child’s aggressive behavior. Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, 2(1), 33-39.
Contact Person: Kwang-Sun Cho Blair
Contact e-mail: kblair@fmhi.usf
4. Using Functional Assessment and Children’s Preferences to Improve the Behavior of Young Children with Behavioral Disorders
Functional assessment conducted with four young children with behavioral disorders indicated that their behavior improved substantially when they engaged in preferred activities. The intervention in which these activities were embedded within their existing curricular produced reductions in their problem behaviors, generality with these children and nontargeted peers, and increases in positive teacher interaction.
Primary Focus: Developing and implementing functional assessment-based intervention in the context of natural classroom environment
Key Words: functional assessment, preference, treatment acceptability, procedural reliability, young children with behavioral disorders
APA citation: Blair, K. C., Umbreit, J. & Bos, C. (1999). Using functional assessment and children’s preferences to improve the behavior of young children with behavioral disorders. Behavioral Disorders, 24(2), 151-166.
Contact Person: Kwang-Sun Cho Blair
Contact e-mail: kblair@fmhi.usf
