Dr. SungWoo Kahng bio: Dr. SungWoo Kahng is an associate professor and Director of Academic Programs in Autism and ABA in and Chair of the Department of Applied Psychology at Rutgers University. Prior to his current position, he was an associate professor at the University of Missouri (MU) where he was also the chair of the Department of Health Psychology, the Founding Director the MU Graduate Programs in Applied Behavior Analysis, and Director of the Applied Behavioral Intervention Service of the MU Thompson Center for Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders. Prior to moving to MU, he was a faculty member in the Department of Behavioral Psychology and a senior behavior analyst on the Neurobehavioral Unit at the Kennedy Krieger Institute as well as an associate professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Dr. Kahng graduated from Kalamazoo College with a bachelor’s of arts in psychology and received his Ph.D. in behavior analysis from the University of Florida. He was an Associate Editor for the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis where he also serves on the Board of Editors. Additionally, he is on the Board of Editors for Behavioral Intervention and Review Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. He is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst. Dr. Kahng is on the Board of Directors of the Behavior Analyst Certification Board and the Scientific Council of the Organization for Autism Research. Dr. Kahng is the recipient of the 2003 B.F. Skinner New Researcher Award given by Division 25 of the American Psychological Association. Dr. Kahng has co-authored over 80 peer reviewed articles and chapters. The focus of his research and clinical work has been on assessing and treating behaviors exhibited by individuals with developmental disabilities. He is also interested in a broader research agenda, which includes topics related to employment and college supports for adults with autism spectrum disorder as well as obesity and aging. Finally, he has mentored numerous undergraduate, master’s level, and predoctoral students as well as post-doctoral fellows.

Abstract: Interventions based on applied behavior analysis (ABA) have become the most common and effective interventions for individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Decades of research has supported the efficacy of ABA-based interventions to treat the symptoms related to ASD (e.g., language, social skills, problem behaviors). This has resulted in the recognition of ABA-based interventions by scientific and professional organizations such as NIMH, The U.S. Surgeon General, and the American Academy of Pediatrics. Despite the wide-scale recognition, questions remain about the efficacy of ABA-based interventions with adults with ASD because most of the research has been conducted with younger learners. Adults with ASD present unique challenges given their physical size, different treatment goals, and long reinforcement history. Research focused on adults will provide additional evidenced-based interventions, which may provide additional data to provide more support for this population. This presentation will include examples of clinical research with adults with ASD in employment and college settings.