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Social and Non-social Hazard Response in Drivers with Autism Spectrum Disorder

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Abstract

Driving is a complex task that relies on manual, cognitive, visual and social skill. The social demands of driving may be challenging for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) due to known social impairments. This study investigated how drivers with ASD respond to social (e.g., pedestrians) and non-social (e.g., vehicles) hazards in a driving simulator compared to typically developing drivers. Overall, participants responded faster to social hazards than non-social hazards. It was also found that drivers with typical development reacted faster to social hazards, while drivers with ASD showed no difference in reaction time to social versus non-social hazards. Future work should further investigate how social impairments in ASD may affect driving safety.

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Acknowledgment

The research described in this paper was supported by grants to the author from: the UAB Civitan International Research Center; the American Psychological Foundation; the Dwight David Eisenhower Transportation Fellowship Program through the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration; and the University of Alabama at Birmingham Department of Psychology. Use of the STISIM driving simulator was made possible by the UAB Edward R. Roybal Center for Translational Research in Aging and Mobility (NIH/NIA Grant No. 5 P30 AG022838-09) and a grant from the National Institute on Aging (NIH/NIA Grant No. 5 R01 AG005739-24).Thank you to the members of my thesis committee for their valuable feedback on this project: Dr. Despina Stavrinos, Dr. Fred Biasini and Dr. Robin Lanzi. I would also like to thank the people and organizations that helped with study recruitment: Brooke Bowles (Triumph Services), Dr. Sarah Ryan (UA ACTS Program), Dr. Rachel Fargason (UAB Adult Psychiatry), Dr. Marsha Sturdevant (Children’s of Alabama Adolescent Health Center), Paige Hebson, Craig Rogers and Yolanda Spencer (Vocational Rehabilitation Services of Alabama), Valerie Dubose (UAB Disability Support Services), Dr. Kristi Guest and Dr. Sarah O’Kelley (UAB Civitan Sparks Clinic) and Dr. Andrea Winslett (Grayson and Associates). The authors would also like to acknowledge Peyton Mosely and Dr. Andrea Underhill for their help in editing and finalizing the manuscript.

Author’s contributions

HJB conceived of the study, participated in its design and coordination, performed the measurement, performed and interpreted statistical analyses and drafted the manuscript. FJB participated in its design and revised the manuscript. DS conceived of the study, participated in its design and coordination, participated in interpretation of the data and revised the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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  1. University of Alabama at Birmingham, 916 19th Street South, Birmingham, AL, 35294-2100, US

    Haley Johnson Bishop & Despina Stavrinos

  2. University of Alabama at Birmingham, 930 20th Street South Suite 101, Birmingham, AL, 35205, US

    Fred J. Biasini

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  1. Haley Johnson Bishop
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Correspondence to Despina Stavrinos.

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Bishop, H.J., Biasini, F.J. & Stavrinos, D. Social and Non-social Hazard Response in Drivers with Autism Spectrum Disorder. J Autism Dev Disord 47, 905–917 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-016-2992-1

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