Can An Autistic Person Drive

They Are Not Tied To Social Expectations

If you’ve ever bought a car, played a game, or joined a club to fit in, you know how hard it can be to be true to yourself. But for people with autism, social expectations can be honestly unimportant.

Who cares if someone you’ve never met rolls their eyes when you mention your interest in Disney movies even when you’re a grown-up? What matters is true liking, shared interests, kindness, and the desire to spend time togethernot keeping up with or being as similar as possible to the Joneses.

Diagnosis Of Autism In Adults

It is not unusual for autistic people to have reached adulthood without a diagnosis.;

Sometimes people will read some information or see something about autism that makes them think That sounds like me. They may then choose to talk to a health professional for a diagnosis, or they may not.;

You may choose to seek an autism diagnosis if:

• you have been diagnosed with a mental health condition or intellectual disability during childhood or adolescence, but think that you may have autism
• you have struggled with feeling socially isolated and different
• your child or other family member has been diagnosed with autism and some of the characteristics of autism sound familiar to you.

If you wish to seek an assessment for autism, you can:

• talk to a psychologist with experience in the assessment and diagnosis of autism
• talk to your GP
• seek a referral to a psychologist or psychiatrist with experience in the assessment and diagnosis of autism in adults from your GP.

A psychologist or psychiatrist with experience in the assessment and diagnosis of autism will ask you about your childhood, and experiences at school and as an adult. They may also do some psychological or psychiatric testing.

A speech pathologist may also be consulted to assess your social communication skills.

All of this information will be used to help make a diagnosis.

Learning To Drive With Autism

According to research;conducted at Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia , two-thirds of 15- to 18-year-old autistic adolescents without intellectual disability are currently driving or planning to drive, and 1 in 3 autistic individuals without intellectual disability get licensed by age 21.;

Autism is characterized by subtle impairments in social interaction, communication, motor skills and coordination and a difficulty in regulating emotions. Attention and a set of skills known as executive functioning– related to processing and prioritizing information — can also be affected.

Many of these capabilities come into play with young autistic drivers. ;A recent collaborative study from the;Center for Injury Research and Prevention;and the;Center for Autism Research;at Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia , published by the;American Journal of Occupational Therapy,;identified clear strengths and a series of specific challenges autistic adolescents experience while learning to drive. The path to becoming licensed may be longer but is achievable with rigorous tailored instruction.

Researchers conducted in-depth interviews with 17 specialized driving instructors who were trained as occupational therapists , driving rehabilitation specialists , or licensed driving instructors with experience teaching autistic adolescents to drive:

Helpful Tips;;

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How To Drive A Car If You’re Autistic

wikiHow is a wiki, similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. To create this article, 15 people, some anonymous, worked to edit and improve it over time.There are 13 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been viewed 12,041 times.Learn more…

Driving can be especially challenging for autistic people. While some people on the spectrum are unable to drive safely, others learn how to do so, even if it takes longer. Many autistics are competent drivers and some even make a living as driving instructors.XResearch source If you think you are confident enough to drive a vehicle of your own, it’ll make your life a lot easier and you’ll be more independent.

Prepare Yourself Mentally And Physically

According to experts, were built to display anxiety and to recognize it in others. If your body and mind are anxious, your audience will notice. Hence, its important to prepare yourself before the big show so that you arrive on stage confident, collected and ready.

Your outside world is a reflection of your inside world. What goes on in the inside, shows on the outside. Bob Proctor

Exercising lightly before a presentation helps get your blood circulating and sends oxygen to the brain. Mental exercises, on the other hand, can help calm the mind and nerves. Here are some useful ways to calm your racing heart when you start to feel the butterflies in your stomach:

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How Complicated Driving Can Be When Someone Perceives The World Differently

Keeping track of everything going on around me, all the others vehicles, traffic lights, signs, pedestrians, handling the car itself, was all just too much for me to cope with. In the back of my mind was the ever-present realization that operating a vehicle on the road could possibly result in an accident, either fatal to myself or others as well.

This type of situation is one where it might be important to have someone who is a Certified Autism Specialist present to make sure that they can better understand what the person with autism is going through. Any time someone is in a car it is important to make sure that everyone is as safe as possible, and this would go a long way for safety.

Is There A Link Between Covid

No, says Halladay. But an infection of any kind in the mother;during pregnancy has been linked to a greater risk of ASD in children another incentive to be vaccinated, she says.

Halladay points to a study of U.S. participants published in Autism Research in October 2019, which found that maternal infection that included fever in the second trimester of pregnancy was associated with a twofold risk of ASD in children. A Swedish longitudinal study published that same year in JAMA Psychiatry found that fetal exposure to maternal infection was linked to a greater risk of an autism diagnosis in children. For many reasons, you do not want to get very sick from COVID-19 or any other type of infection when you are pregnant.

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Asd And Driving: Yes And No

So, can autistic people drive? The answer is yes and no. It depends on the individual, their symptoms, and their individual abilities.

If you think your teen could drive, start planning early. Talk about driving and the expectations for people who drive. You might even want to have them see their doctor to guarantee there would be no other medical condition that would prevent them from being a good driver.

Financial Help With The Cost Of Driving

If you receive the higher rate mobility componentPersonal Independence Payment, you are eligible to join theMotability scheme. This will mean that the higher rate mobility component of your PIP will be paid directly to Motability and you can lease or purchase a vehicle through the scheme in return.;

You may also be able to get help with the cost of driving lessons through aMotability Charitable Grant.;;You can getfree road taxif you receive the enhanced mobility element of PIP.;;A car insurance company should be notified of a disability. Under theEquality Act 2010;insurers can only charge disabled people higher premiums if the extra charge is based on factual or statistical data, or there are other factors which mean that a disabled person is a higher risk.;

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They Take Things Literally

Puns, nuances, metaphors, and idioms are too often lost and confusing to the autistic. Hold your horses, its a piece of cake, lets hit the road. We use these phrases every day without even realizing we have said them. However to our loved ones with autism they make language confusing and hard to understand. If you have ever read an Amelia Bedlia book, you will understand how confusing language can be without a point of reference.

Determining Readiness To Drive

So how do you know when you or your teen is ready to drive?

It depends on the teens capabilities and eagerness. Conversations about driving should ideally start a year or two before the teen can get their permit so that families have enough time to add driving goals to the teens IEP if necessary. Families should also seek the advice of medical and support professionals.

Questions to consider:

• Do you feel you/your teen or young adult consistently demonstrates good judgment and maturity at school, around peers, and at home?
• Are you/your teen receptive to constructive criticism and instruction?
• Do you/your teen demonstrate knowledge of the rules of the road and other skills taught in driver education classes? If not, do you need specialized instruction or a driving assessment?
• Are you/your teen agreeable to practicing driving with a skilled adult prior to driving independently? If so, is there an adult who is willing and able to serve in this important role?
• Are there any medical or behavioural conditions that may prevent you/your teen from driving safely?
• Are there medical interventions that may be needed to ensure safe driving behaviours, such as treatment with ADHD medication if you/your teen has symptoms of ADHD?
• What should families do if their teen/young adult seems to have the skills necessary to drive but doesnt show interest in driving?

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Autistic People Angry At Having To Disclose Diagnosis To Dvla Even If Driving Not Affected

EHRC says consultation about change in policy should have taken place

The National Autistic Society is challenging a decision by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency to force autistic people to inform them of their diagnosis even if it does not affect their driving.

The surprise change in policy which was not communicated to any autistic people, charities or medical professionals emerged after a person with autism contacted the NAS and told them the DVLA website said drivers must disclose if they have an autistic spectrum disorder.

Until recently, the website has simply said that drivers must tell the DVLA if they have an autistic spectrum disorder and it affects your driving. This is standard for many conditions. The final clause has been removed and is now in a separate paragraph warning of the risk of a £1,000 fine or possible prosecution if these drivers are involved in an accident.

The Labour MP Jess Phillips joined in with criticism of the decision and said she would take the matter further, tweeting: Believe me when I say I will be asking the Equality and Human Rights Commission to look into this.

Sophie Walker, the former leader of the Womens Equality party whose daughter is autistic also called for the EHRC to investigate. This is discrimination, she said. Im furious. I am going to follow this up next week.

We always keep our advice under review and work with our independent medical panels to do so.

Imitation Coordination And Planning The Next Move

It often has been observed that individuals with ASD have a difficult time copying others’ gestures or movements. How much of this is because of impaired motor skills and how much is because of difficulty with the process of imitation is not yet known.8,9 In any case, clumsiness or problems with coordination have long been noted, especially in people with Asperger’s syndrome.10,11

Research also has shown that individuals on the spectrum may have trouble “chaining motor acts into a global action.”12 In other words, people with ASD can find it hard to plan all the steps to carry out an action from a to z all at once. Instead, they may do this in smaller, less global steps.

Taking all of the above into account, we may speculate that individuals with ASD will need some extra help learning the skills necessary to drive. There is not yet research on what techniques are ideal, but it is likely that breaking down driving skills into component parts and allowing more time than the typical beginner might need to master them will be required.

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Helping My Husband Get His License

Last November, a year ago, I helped;my autistic husband Abraham get his drivers license. I came up with a plan that worked beautifully! As a person with autism, I know how we tend to thrive on routine and do best when in our comfort zone. So heres what I had him do in order to build that comfort zone behind the wheel.

Repetition in Safe Circumstances to Build Confidence is the Key to Success

First, we went outside to my truck in the driveway. I got in the passengers seat, and Abraham in the drivers seat. I told him to first buckle up his seat belt, then put the key in the ignition and start it up. Once started, I told him to shut it off and just sit there a bit. I then told him to get out, go back to house and come out and do it all over, 10 times!

So he did it all, 10 times.

It took awhile, but by the 10th time, he did it so routinely as if hed been doing it for years.

Once he was totally comfortable with that, I had him back up the truck in the driveway between all the trees, then go forward to the starting point. Again, 10 times.

Then I had him go out the driveway to the subdivision across the street, drive throughout the quiet, meandering road there, then return to our driveway. Again, yes, 10 times.

I then taught him to parallel park 10 times, of course!

Ready To Drive Around Town On Day 2

The next day, he felt ready to drive all around town, graduating to roads where he had to go 45 miles per hour to maintain pace with everyone.

Of course, prior to starting all the hands-on, he had memorized the drivers manual. One thing he had problems with was stop signs.

He thought you actually have to stop exactly where the stop sign is placed, which is often far enough from the intersection you cannot see it clearly. He was taking it literally, so hed stop right at the sign. I explained that if you really stop right at the sign, most likely you wont be able to get a clear visual of the intersection. I showed him how you stop at the stop sign but slowly ease up to where you can clearly see the intersection and all oncoming traffic.

Then he finally understood. On the third day, he took his drivers test and got his drivers license.

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To Drive Or Not To Drive That Is The Question

For young people on the spectrum and for their families, this is a BIG question.

Our son is almost 21 now and has had his driving license for two years. So we are able to reflect back on our decisions at the start of his life behind the wheel. And there are definitely some things we wouldnt do again.

Here are our familys top tips for people who are wondering whether learning to drive is for them.

No need to rushWe waited until our son was asking to learn to drive. This happened when he was almost 18, much later than his peers.

When he was younger I sometimes encouraged him to do things that his peers were doing but which he wasnt ready for, like joining sports teams. That was all about me not him.

So these days theres no rush, when he is ready to make some change he asks by himself.

Does your son or daughter really need to learn to drive?This depends on where you live of course. Our house is deep in the Sydney suburbs and a long way from the nearest bus stop. It makes our sons life so much easier to drive. It makes mine and my husbands much, much easier too.

Our son drives to his supported workplace four days a week. It isnt actually a long drive, maybe 15 minutes. But it would take over an hour if he went by public transport plus walking to the bus stop.

We gave him lifts up and down to the bus stop for years and its splendid not to, especially since we are still flat out with the younger kids.

I did that with our instructor and managed to get over my hump.

Planning And Resources For Success

Lisa Sullivan, MS, is;a nutritionist and a corporate health and wellness educator with;nearly 20 years of experience in the healthcare industry.;

It can be difficult for people with autism spectrum disorder to find regular, paid employment. However, increasing numbers of employers are open to hiring adults with disabilities, including those with ASD.

That said, if you’re an adult with ASD and about to embark on a job hunt, be aware that you may have to jump through more hoops and pass more tests and evaluations than neurotypical job candidates. Here are 10 things to know to help you understand the challenges you may face and where to turn for support.

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Learning To Drive Might Look Different For Someone With Autism

When learning to drive, it is imperative that everything be broken down into small tasks. Then, once comfortable, put all the pieces together. It might take longer for someone to learn to drive, but a person should be able to take as long as they need to learn.

The main goal is safety. It can be challenging for a person with autism to learn that others on the road might not follow all the rules like they do. Teaching drivers to expect the unexpected while driving is an abstract concept, yet a critical one.

Heres some tips for helping someone on the autism spectrum learn to drive:

• Allow frequent breaks during driving lessons to let each piece of information to settle in and not overwhelm the individual.
• Drive on familiar routes until fully comfortable. New routes can be overwhelming and should be avoided until the person is totally comfortable handling the vehicle and dealing with traffic in familiar surroundings. This is especially the case in bigger cities with more complex intersections and more traffic.
• Teach the driver to remain calm when others break the rules of the road.
• Explain what road rage is and how to avoid instigating another driver.
• Teach them that playing music while driving might be a distraction.