Autism and driving
For young people with autism and their families the decision to pursue driving has many considerations.
Fortunately, there is more research to help guide that decision than there was in the past.
- Autistic drivers report better quality of life outcomes compared to Autistics who don’t drive.
- During the first two years of licensure, Autistics crash at the same rates as their peers.
Learner drivers and their families express challenges with learning to drive that include
- Coordination difficulties
- Anxiety
- Limitations in concentration
- Executive function challenges including problem solving or judgment
On average, it may take longer for an individual with ASD to learn to drive. Time, patience, supportive instructors, as well as specialized training techniques, may lead to successful outcomes.
It is also important to recognize that not everyone with ASD has difficulty learning to drive. Similarly, not everyone with ASD will be able to overcome the challenges associated with learning to drive.
What are some of the specialized training topics?
- Develop motor coordination skills for driving
- Learn how to anticipate pedestrians and cyclists’ behaviors
- Develop skills to search the road efficiently for key information including hazards
- Learn how to anticipate other drivers’ actions
- Develop decision making skills
Autistic drivers tend to focus on the horizon versus scanning for immediate hazards like brake lights of the car in front
References
Almberg, M., Selander, H., Falkmer, M. V., S., Ciccarelli, M., & Flalkmer, T. (2015). Experiences of facilitators or barriers in driving education from learner and novice drivers with ADHD or ASD and their driving instructors. Developmental Neurorehabilitation, electronic, 1-9. https://doi.org/10.3109/17518423.2015.1058299
Chee, D., Lee, H., Patomella, A., & Falkmer, T. (2019). The visual search patterns of drivers with autism spectrum disorders in complex driving scenarios. Journal of Transport & Health, 14, 1-9. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jth.2019.100597
Curry, A., Metzger, K. B., Carey, M. E., ASartin, E. B., Huang, P., & Yerys, B. E. (2021). Comparison of motor vehicle crashes, traffic violations, and license suspensions between autistic and non-autistic adolescent and young adult drivers. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaac.2021.01.001
Wilson, N. J., Stevens, A., Srasuebkul, P., Kersten, M., Lin, Z., Trollor, J. N., & Arnold, S. R. C. (2021). Exploring the relationship between community mobility and quality of life, employment and completing further education for autistic adults. Journal of Transport & Health, 22, 1-11. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jth.2021.101117
Resources
Physicians, healthcare professionals, and rehabilitation therapists can be helpful in the journey from deciding whether to pursue driving and learning how to drive.
You may want to seek an Occupational Therapist who specializes in autism and driving as well as driver rehabilitation specialists that have additional knowledge about autism.
Things to consider before pursing driving
Driving requires executive function skills that have their foundation in many activities of daily living. This is a small sample of life skills to help prepare for driving.
- Pushing a shopping cart while looking for items on a list and navigating around shoppers and displays is slow motion driving.
- Crossing a street and monitoring traffic is just like driving across an intersection
- Attending to traffic before opening the car door on the traffic side uses the same skills as pulling away from the curb
- Self-monitoring the time to get out the door in the morning is the same skills drivers to plan the time it takes to get to a destination.
- Planning ahead for laundry is just like thinking ahead about filling your gas tank or charging your car.
