Dr. Kahng graduated in 1990 from Kalamazoo College with a B.A. in Psychology. He continued his education in psychology at the University of Florida where he received a M.S. in 1996 and a Ph.D. in 1999. Dr. Kahng joined the staff of the Neurobehavioral Unit at the Kennedy Krieger Institute in 1999. He is currently on the Board of Editors of the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis and Behavioral Intervention, an ad hoc reviewer for numerous other journals, an adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Maryland – Baltimore County, adjunct faculty at the University of Massachusetts – Lowell, and a Board Certified Behavior Analyst. Dr. Kahng is the recipient of the 2003 B.F. Skinner New Researcher Award given by Division 25 of the American Psychological Association. He has been invited to present at regional, national, and international events as well as to consult for numerous organizations. He has co-authored over 50 peer reviewed articles and chapters. He has served as a reviewer for the U.S. Department of Education’s National Institute of Disability and Rehabilitation Research and the National Institute of Health’s Center for Scientific Review. He is co-director of the Maryland Association for Behavior Analysis and a member of the Association for Behavior Analysis, Division 25 of the American Psychological Association, and the Cambridge Center for Behavioral Studies.

Dr. Kahng has conducted research on the behavioral assessment of severe problem behaviors (e.g., self-injurious behavior, aggression, and property destruction) exhibited by individuals with developmental disabilities. Much of his research has focused on functional behavioral assessment technology, which is used to identify the determinants of problem behaviors. This includes evaluation of functional behavioral assessment procedures (e.g., scatter plot and brief functional analysis) as well as the refinement of such procedures.

Dr. Kahng has also conducted research on behavioral interventions for severe problem behavior. His research has focused on the acquisition of functional communication skills to decrease problem behaviors as well as the alteration of motivational variables for problem behaviors. His other research interests include childhood obesity, pediatric feeding disorders, computerized systems of data collection, and the prevention and early intervention of self-injurious behavior.

Girolami, K. M., Kahng, S., Hilker, K. A., & Girolami, P. A. (2009). Differential reinforcement of high rate behavior to increase the pace of self-feeding. Behavioral Interventions, 24, 17-22.

Ingvarsson, E. T., Kahng, S., & Hausman, N. L. (2008). Some effects of noncontingent positive reinforcement on multiply controlled problem behavior and compliance in a demand context. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 41, 435-440.

Jarmolowicz, D. P., Kahng, S., Ingvarsson, E. T., Goysovich, R., Heggemeyer, R., & Gregory, M. K. (2008). Effects of conversational versus technical language on treatment preference and treatment integrity. Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, 46, 190-199.

Kahng, S., Leak, J., Vu, Ch., & Mishler, B. (2008). Mechanical restraints as positive reinforcers for aggression. Behavioral Interventions, 23, 137-142.

Cataldo, M. F., Kahng, S., DeLeon, I. G., Martens, B. K., Friman, P. C., & Cataldo, M. (2007). Behavioral principles, assessment, and therapy. In M. L. Batshaw, N. J., Roizen, & L. Pelligrino (Eds.), Children with Disabilities (6th Edition; pp. 539-555). Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co.

Kahng, S., & DeLeon, I. G. (2007). Behavior management. In P. J. Accardo (Ed.), Capute & Accardo’s Neurodevelopmental Disabilities in Infancy and Childhood: Vol. 1 Neurodevelopmental Diagnosis and Treatment (3rd Edition, pp. 553-576). Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co.

SungWoo Kahng, Ph.D.

Senior Behavior Analyst , Neurobehavioral Unit
Kennedy Krieger Institute

Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

Address: 707 North Broadway
(map & directions)

Telephone: 443-923-2844
Facsimile: 443-923-2845
Email: kahng@kennedykrieger.org


Faculty | Clinical Programs | Research