Brief report: driving and young adults with ASD: parents' experiences.
Parents flag multi-tasking as the top driving hurdle for autistic teens, and later lab and road studies back them up.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Cox et al. (2012) asked parents how it feels to teach driving to teens and young adults with autism. They filled out a short survey about the hardest parts and shared teaching tips.
What they found
Parents said the biggest headache is multi-tasking behind the wheel. Handling the wheel, pedals, traffic signs, and other cars at once felt overwhelming to their kids.
How this fits with other research
Reimer et al. (2013) later watched autistic drivers in a simulator and saw the same problem: eyes jumped around and heart rate stayed high when extra tasks piled on. Eussen et al. (2016) pinned the trouble on working memory; adding a memory game during the drive hurt autistic drivers far more than typical peers. Sawyer et al. (2014) then showed these challenges show up on real roads: autistic adults rack up more tickets and fender-benders than other drivers. Together the studies move from parent worry to measurable skill targets.
Why it matters
You now know multi-tasking is the pain point, not basic car control. Start training by cutting extra load: quiet streets, no radio, one instruction at a time. Build working-memory games off-road first, then fade them into driving. Share this tip with families so practice time feels doable, not scary.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
A paucity of research exists regarding driving skills and individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). The current study sought to gain a better understanding of driving and ASD by surveying parents/caregivers of adolescents/young adults with ASD who were currently attempting, or had previously attempted, to learn to drive. Respondents included 123 parents/caregivers of adolescents/young adults with ASD. The results indicate that learning to drive presents a substantial challenge for individuals with ASD; complex driving demands (e.g., multi-tasking) may be particularly problematic. Respondents provided suggestions that may be useful to others who seek to teach these skills. The survey results offer guidance for next steps in the study of driving with ASD.
Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 2012 · doi:10.1007/s10803-012-1470-7