Faculty & Staff
Faculty
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Kwang-Sun Cho Blair, PhD, BCBA-DProfessorPhone: 813-974-2129 |
Research Interests:
Functional behavior assessment and intervention; family-centered intervention; positive behavior support; teacher training and classroom-based intervention; development of assessment instruments
Dr. Blair is a Professor and Board Certified Behavior Analyst in the Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) Program of the Department of Child and Family Studies at the 91ÉçÇø, specializing in functional behavior assessment and intervention, teacher and parent training, early intervention, and assessment development. Dr. Blair received her Ph.D. in special education and minor in psychology from the University of Arizona in 1996, with a focus on emotional and behavioral disorders and contextual-based functional behavior assessment-based intervention in early childhood education settings. After earning her Ph.D., she was a post-doctoral research associate at the University of Arizona in 1997 and served as faculty of special education at Konju National University, South Korea from 1998-2006.
Dr. Blair has published numerous research articles on school-based and family-centered interventions to improve outcomes for children with varying disabilities and those at-risk for disabilities due to behavioral challenges. She values the empowerment and capacity building of natural change agents, collaborative team-based intervention design and implementation, and systems change. Currently, Dr. Blair is the principal investigator for a research grant funded by the Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education. The project aims to develop and pilot test a virtual coaching model (ePTR Coach) for implementing a team-based functional behavior assessment and intervention process in public school settings for children with behavioral challenges. In addition, Dr. Blair directs or co-directs three training grants (Project EBAS, Project iSED, and Project MABAS) as the principle or a co-principal investigator, funded by the Office of Special Education Program (OSEP) or the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE), U.S. Department of Education. These grants focus on preparing school-based behavior analysts, school psychologists, and social workers to collaborate in supporting classroom teachers to address the needs of children, both with and without disabilities, who require intensive individualized behavior interventions and mental health supports. Previously, Dr. Blair directed two more OSEP-funded training grants (Project TSBA and Project ABA). Both projects aimed to prepare school-based behavior analysts to provide ABA services to children with disabilities with a focus on the provision of multi-tiered positive behavioral interventions and supports as well as evidence-based practices in autism.
Dr. Blair has served as a vice president for the Korean Association for Behavior Analysis and Korean Association for Early Childhood Special Education. Currently, she serves on the editorial boards of Topics in Early Childhood Special Education, Remedial and Special Education, Journal of Behavior Analysis and Support, Korean Journal of Early Childhood Special Education, and Korean Journal of Special Education, as a guest associate editor for Behavior Analysis in Practice and Behavioral Sciences, and as a reviewer for Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, Journal of Early Intervention, Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, Behavioral Disorders, Behavior Modification, Behavioral Interventions, and several other journals.
Current Research
ePTR Coach: Development and Pilot Testing of a Virtual Prevent-Teach-Reinforce Coaching Model for Children with or At-Risk for Disabilities
The grant will be dedicated to the development and evaluation of the feasibility and
potential promise of positive outcomes of a virtual Prevent-Teach-Reinforce (PTR)
coaching model, ‘ePTR Coach’. The primary goal of the study is to train school-based
professionals to become behavioral coaches, equipping them with the necessary skills
to guide individualized behavior support teams through the PTR process. The focus
will be on children with disabilities or without disabilities, who are at the highest
risk of school failure due to persistent challenging behavior. /cbcs/cfs/news-events/e-ptr-coach-grant.aspx
PI: Kwang-Sun Blair
Funder: Institute of Education Sciences (IES), U.S. Department of Education.
Project MABAS
Project MABAS: Enhancing the Promotion of Mental Health Wellbeing of Children and Youth in High-Need Schools through Preparing School-Based Behavior Analysts and Social Workers
Role: Co-PI
Project iSED
Project iSED: Advancing Interdisciplinary Services for Students with Severe Emotional and Behavioral Disorders
Role: Co-PI