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Driving is just one of many transportation options. It is also a transportation option that offers considerably more freedom and flexibility of movement, particularly in places where the transportation is car-friendly.

Driving, much like dealing with any form of transportation, is a life skill. If you are interested in learning more about other transportation options, you can check out our Transportation Toolkit.

We created a separate driving toolkit because driving can differ so much from most other transportation options and requires a variety of crucial skills.

Before we talk about the benefits of driving, it’s important to emphasize that much of the benefit from driving comes from living in spaces that are built around drivers. We are not saying that driving is an inherently better option than the others! In a perfect world, we could all get where we need to go on the transportation system that is right for us. Rather, we are acknowledging the benefit of driving in a transportation environment that is built for drivers.

Into adulthood, driving is linked to:

• Employment
• Postsecondary education and training
• Community engagement
• Feelings of independence
• Feelings of self-identity
• Social connections

In this Toolkit, we will be focusing on some of the skills necessary for driving, as well as some options that can make getting a driver’s license more difficult. Everyone is in a different place when it comes to driving. Some may want to get going right away. Others may see the potential but find it overwhelming. That’s where other transportation options can be helpful! Driving is a skill that can be learned later in adulthood when you feel ready.

The Toolkit is for Self-Advocates, Parents, Professionals, and Community Members.

The language of the toolkit will primarily be aimed at self-advocates. Parents, professionals, and community members may find it helpful to share or use it together with an Autistic person they are supporting!

Let’s Focus On

In this toolkit, we will answer some frequently asked questions and clarify some common misconceptions around driving, especially as it relates to Autistic people. You may find some ideas to discuss further as a support network, depending on what role you occupy.

Recently, more and more resources have become available for Autistic people who are interested in learning how to drive. We will take a closer look at this programming, as well as ongoing support and learning while on the road.

Recent research has shown a need to individualize driver education programming and provide more on-the-road training for Autistic learners. We will talk about ideas that support this type of individualized learning.

For teaching resources, we recommend reviewing evidence-based strategies for supporting Autistic learners. The Autism-Focused Intervention Resources & Modules (AFIRM) are an excellent resource.

A Quick Note for Parents and Caregivers

It’s natural for parents and caregivers to have concerns when the teenager or young adult they are supporting expresses an interest in driving. Driving is a big responsibility, and there are very real safety risks.

As with any risk we take as part of growing up, it’s OK to acknowledge those fears and concerns as long as we also recognize the importance of allowing the people we support to seek out independence whenever possible. Having an open dialogue about this topic can encourage a positive discussion about such concerns.

The person you are supporting may have similar concerns! Likewise, if the person you are supporting does not feel ready to pursue driving at the earliest possible age, that is OK. The important thing is feeling ready on a personal level and being prepared to manage the responsibilities of being on the road in real time.

This resource from the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) can be a helpful starting point.

When just starting out, not many people feel ready to just hop in a car and drive. Rather, the goal in this section is to decide whether you feel comfortable with starting to take practical steps toward learning driving skills and eventually getting your driver’s license.

It’s a great place to assess all that goes into learning to drive and to put into words any worries you might have about the driving process.

If those concerns feel more important than the benefits of driving, you can always decide to revisit this topic later when you feel more ready.

What types of driving resources are out there to support specialized learning? Let’s take a closer look!

As we mentioned earlier in this toolkit, research has shown that individualized instruction can be especially important for Autistic drivers. Autistic drivers may be safer than their peers, but may also benefit from instruction that focuses more specifically on common challenge areas, such as reacting to changes on the road as they occur in the moment.

Instead of a generic course that may focus too much on some areas and not enough on others, an individualized plan can ensure a student is getting sufficient practice in all areas.

Individualized training can be offered by local driver’s ed programs, and many programs with a specialized focus emphasize more time behind the wheel.

Consider checking in with your local driver’s ed programs to see if any offer individualized instruction or more road time!

Students who are part of VR programs can be referred for driving readiness assessments. Since driving is linked to employment opportunities, VR can support this skill as well.

You may be interested in a readiness assessment, but not be part of a VR program, particularly if you are concerned about a medical condition.

You may be interested in Adaptive Driving Lessons, which can both help assess readiness and work with a student toward achieving readiness.

Sometimes it can be helpful to have resources that are specific to Autistic people, even if it’s not individualized. Many states offer resources specifically for Autistic drivers, and you can check with your state’s DMV to see what they may have on offer.

You may also find some specialized resources online. The Arc’s Virtual Program Library offers an online driver readiness program specifically for Autistic drivers. Keep an eye out for online resources that might focus more specifically on your needs!

There are a lot of different skills that go into being able to drive safely and consistently as part of a day-to-day schedule. There is our ability to know where we are going, our ability to change when our familiar routes are not available, and a general sense of direction to help navigate when we feel stuck. Let’s take a close look at how we might practice those skills!

Planning ahead can sometimes feel a little silly when many of us have access to ready-made directions on our phones at all times. But quick access to directions doesn’t mean that we should skip planning ahead! Planning ahead helps us budget our time, think about what we might do in an emergency, and coordinate multiple activities to be as efficient as possible.

Planning ahead also means having all the resources you need in the car to manage potential challenges or emergencies on the road. That includes a spare tire, a way to jumpstart your engine, and your insurance information.

Planning ahead is about more than checking the map! It’s about making sure that when the time comes, you can focus your attention on driving.

One reality of planning is that we can’t always anticipate exactly how the road will look once we are on it. Sometimes a road is closed. Sometimes there is an accident. Sometimes the weather isn’t so great.

Flexibility to change means being able to process the change in real time and find an alternative that works for you. Adaptability on the road is crucial in the big picture and in the moment.

In the absence of navigational tools, it is important to have a good idea of the roads you most commonly use and a general sense of where the road you are on will go based on the signs. Highways are some of the most helpful signifiers, as they will give you a general idea of what direction you are going. You can use a combination of directional clues and your own knowledge about the roads around where you live to try to find your way.

Driving is a constant series of small tasks until we reach our destination, and to be able to drive, we need to be able to do multiple tasks at once. We always need to be aware of what is in front of us. We also frequently need to check our mirrors to see who is around us, especially on the highway. We need to make sure we are going in the intended direction and keep an eye out for important turns. We might also need to adjust the dials on our console to control for temperature, sound, or to activate our windshield wipers.

Learning to feel comfortable doing all these little things together, sometimes simultaneously, is an important part of being able to drive with traffic in a way that’s consistent with the expectations of other drivers.

An important corollary to multitasking is being able to physically operate the car in a way that keeps it steady and going where it needs to go. For example, being able to look in your rearview mirror while keeping your hands steady on the wheel can be tricky until you get the hang of it. So can remembering to keep your foot on the accelerator without pressing down too hard.

Getting used to the motor skills associated with operating a motor vehicle makes a big difference in our day-to-day driving. This is the type of skill that requires practice over time.

This may feel self-evident, but it’s also one of the most crucial parts of driving that even the most experienced drivers can forget, especially on long trips. Highway hypnosis is a very real phenomenon and can come at the expense of reaction time, ability to stay on the road, and ability to stay awake.

Every driver needs to develop strategies that help them stay focused as individuals, whether it’s playing music, taking regular breaks, or keeping high-energy snacks at the ready.

Nobody is immune to the risk of losing focus, and we all need strategies to keep on task, especially when a task can be a real safety risk when it goes wrong!

Every driver needs to be familiar with the rules and norms of the road. That includes the basics of knowing what different signs and markings mean. It also includes learning norms like who has the right of way in a given situation.

Road safety and norms are so important because when drivers have a shared language and understanding of how driving works, everyone can get where they need to go faster.

When some drivers break the rules or do something unexpected, it can slow things down, surprise people, and even lead to accidents. Driving school is one place where we spend a lot of time learning the rules and norms of the road.

Just because rules and norms exist on the road doesn’t mean they are always followed. Sometimes someone will do something unexpected in front of you, and there’s no point in wishing they’d done the right thing instead.

You just need to decide how to react in a way that gets everyone through the situation without getting hurt or overly inconvenienced. One classic example is when a car unexpectedly lets you turn when they have right of way. Even though it’s a “nice” thing to do, it can be distressing, because it can slow things down for everyone! In many cases, it would have been “nicer” just to go and let the system sort itself out.

But as the driver being given the right of way, we can also know it’s just faster for us to accept the offer than wait or insist that the driver follow the rules correctly. Learning to use our best judgment when drivers behave unexpectedly is a crucial skill!

How can we make good spur-of-the-moment decisions? A great starting point is to be aware of our priorities and internalize them for when we need to make those quick choices. The most classic top priority is safety! Often, when we are surprised by something on the road, we need to do whatever we can to be safe first and worry about the rest later.

Beyond safety, another common priority is maintaining the rules of the road. Once our safety is accounted for, how can we get back to following the rules of the road as usual? And on the list goes.

Depending on the situation, your choice may come down to safety, the rules or the road, or even your own convenience. More important than exactly what dictates your decision in any given moment is having a system that helps you make those choices. So think about your priorities and how you might apply them in difficult situations. You never know when it might come up!

Much like the written test, the practical driving test can vary from state to state. Some are notoriously difficult, while others are fairly straightforward and simple.

One big difference between the written and practical is that it’s harder to predict exactly what will be expected of you during the practical. Sometimes it can depend on the person doing the grading and how they feel that day!

So what can we focus on to help us prepare?

One helpful starting point is to ask around. Seriously! Usually, people who have passed the driving test can tell you what they had to do. If you hear a few stories of people taking the test in your state, it can help give you a pretty good idea of the types of things that might be expected of you in your state.

To make things a little easier starting out, let’s go over some things you can expect in just about every driving test, and then a list of skills you might sometimes, but not always, be expected to demonstrate.

• Making sure your car is ready to drive before starting
  • Lock doors
  • Check mirrors (even if you already did before the test!)
  • Put on a seatbelt
• Driving on a two-lane road
• Stopping and turning at an intersection
• Turning around
• Forward perpendicular parking

It’s unlikely you will be asked to perform every one of these skills on a single driving test. But there’s a good chance you will be asked to perform some of them!

Whether you demonstrate these skills might depend on your state, your instructor, and even how your test has been going so far!

Let’s take a look at some of these more specific, often more challenging skills:

• Parallel parking
• 3-point turn
• Reverse perpendicular parking
• U-turn
• Highway driving
• Changing lanes

It can be helpful to work on all of these skills, both for the test and as a driver in general! It can also help to get a sense of which might be most important on the test, so you can make sure you spend the practice time you need on that skill in particular!