Use of a Preassessment to Inform Treatment of Rapid Eating

One teen with autism ate too fast. Bites came almost back-to-back.

The team first ran a 5-minute preassessment. They watched which foods the student ate fastest.

Next they combined three tools: a vibrating pager cue, a short rule statement, and gentle response blocking. They timed the pauses between bites.

The preassessment picked the two foods that triggered the fastest eating. Those foods became the treatment targets.

With the pager + rule + blocking package, the teen’s average pause between bites more than doubled. Fast eating stayed low for three weeks.

Silbaugh et al. (2017) also used response blocking for feeding, but for food selectivity, not speed. Both studies show blocking works when paired with other cues.

Phillips et al. (2025) found response blocking alone can backfire—sometimes it increases behavior. Diemer et al. (2023) avoided that pitfall by testing blocking inside a package and only after a brief probe.

Wanchisen et al. (1989) proved a quick presession assessment can wipe out problem behavior. Diemer et al. (2023) extends that idea to feeding: a 5-minute food test guides the whole plan.

You can copy the 5-minute test in your next feeding case. Let the student eat three foods and time the bites. Pick the fastest items for treatment. Then pair a simple pager cue with a rule like “wait for the buzz” and block early bites. One teen slowed down within three meals—no chairs, no tokens, just a pocket pager.