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.
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Acknowledgments
The authors would like to heartily thank the parents/caregivers who participated in our survey. We would like to acknowledge their time, energy, and insight as critical to our study. The authors would also like to thank the participating Autism-related organizations and their constituents for their willingness to share the survey link to interested parties. The researchers would specifically like to thank the Center for Autism and Related Disabilities at the University of South Florida for their insight during survey development as well as survey dissemination.
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Ethical standards
The research team created an anonymous and voluntary Internet survey entitled “Learning to Drive with ASD” via Survey Monkey, an online tool designed to build and disseminate surveys. Upon completion of the survey writing, the research team submitted the survey study to their local Institutional Review Board (IRB). A copy of the IRB-approved survey can be provided upon request. The survey included explicit instructions to inform participants about the nature of the study. The link to the survey was also accompanied with contact information for the research team if the respondents encountered questions about the survey. If a parent/caregiver elected to respond to the survey, this implied consent. The research team did not obtain any identifying information of the respondents; therefore, the study was completely anonymous.
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Cox, N.B., Reeve, R.E., Cox, S.M. et al. Brief Report: Driving and Young Adults with ASD: Parents’ Experiences. J Autism Dev Disord 42, 2257–2262 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-012-1470-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-012-1470-7