Abstract
Individuals with developmental disabilities are more likely to eat rapidly. Rapid eating is correlated with choking, vomiting, aspiration, overeating, and obesity, all of which negatively affect quality of life. Behavioral strategies have been used to slow eating pace but often require invasive techniques, such as response blocking, to achieve clinically important reductions. The current study extended previous research by implementing a treatment package that included the use of a timer, differential reinforcement of low rates of behavior, and token reinforcement system to reduce rapid eating exhibited by three adults with Down syndrome residing in an independent supported living facility. The results demonstrated that this treatment package increased the interresponse time between bites to criteria for all three participants.