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Can Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder Use Virtual Reality Driving Simulation Training to Evaluate and Improve Driving Performance? An Exploratory Study

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Abstract

Investigate how novice drivers with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) differ from experienced drivers and whether virtual reality driving simulation training (VRDST) improves ASD driving performance. 51 novice ASD drivers (mean age 17.96 years, 78% male) were randomized to routine training (RT) or one of three types of VRDST (8–12 sessions). All participants followed DMV behind-the-wheel training guidelines for earning a driver’s license. Participants were assessed pre- and post-training for driving-specific executive function (EF) abilities and tactical driving skills. ASD drivers showed worse baseline EF and driving skills than experienced drivers. At post-assessment, VRDST significantly improved driving and EF performance over RT. This study demonstrated feasibility and potential efficacy of VRDST for novice ASD drivers.

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Acknowledgments

This project was supported by grant #W81XWH-12-1-0608 from the U.S. Department of Defense. We are indebted to the assistance rendered by Sarah Cain, Addison Walker, Erin Thiemann, Roger Thompson, Paul Barnard, Kristin Lucas, Trevor Johnson, and Rachel Dyke in the execution of this study.

Author Contributions

DJC was the principle investigator, the overall director of the project, and the primary writer of the manuscript. TB was the co-investigator of the project and oversaw data collection at the University of Iowa. He reviewed and critiqued the manuscript. VR did the data analysis for this paper and contributed extensively to the literature review and Results section. MM performed all assessments and VRDST at the University of Virginia and was the overall data manager of the project. He also contributed to the data presentation in this manuscript. RS was the University of Iowa’s project coordinator and performed their VRDS assessments. She did extensive technical editing of the manuscript. GG and RR were the clinicians responsible for the diagnosis of the ASD participants at the University of Iowa and the University of Virginia, respectively. They actively contributed to subject recruitment and they reviewed and critiqued this manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Virginia Driving Safety Laboratory, University of Virginia Health Sciences Center, Box 800-223, Charlottesville, VA, 22908, USA

    Daniel J. Cox, Matthew Moncrief & Ron Reeve

  2. National Advanced Driving Simulator, University of Iowa, 2401 Oakdale Blvd, Iowa City, IA, 52241, USA

    Timothy Brown, Rose Schmitt & Gary Gaffney

  3. Transportation Research Institute, Hasselt University, Science Park 5, 3590, Diepenbeek, Belgium

    Veerle Ross

Authors
  1. Daniel J. Cox
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  2. Timothy Brown
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  3. Veerle Ross
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  4. Matthew Moncrief
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  5. Rose Schmitt
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  6. Gary Gaffney
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  7. Ron Reeve
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Daniel J. Cox.

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Conflict of interest

Daniel Cox has received grant funding from the Department of Defense, the National institutes of Health, Johnson & Johnson, Purdue Pharmaceuticals and DexCom. Timothy Brown has received grant funding from the Department of Defense, and has performed contractual work for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the Federal Highway Administration, Toyota Motor Company, and the National Institutes of Health. Veerle Ross has received grant funding from the Marie-Marguerite Delacroux support fund. Gary Gaffney has received grant funding from the Department of Defense, and has performed contractual work for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and the National Institutes of Health. Ron Reeve received grant funding from the Department of Defense. Matthew Moncrief and Rose Schmitt declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical Approval

All procedures performed involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and national research committee and with the Statement of Principles defined under the Belmont Report. Each site received individual approval from their respective institutional review board.

Informed Consent

All participants either signed an assent form (parents signing a Consent form) or a Consent form if age 18 or older. Before signing, participant and parent were taken to a quiet room, the consent form was reviewed, then parent and participant were left alone to consider the consent form and sign it if in agreement.

Additional information

This is a follow-up to an earlier study: Cox SM, Cox DJ, Kofler MJ, Moncrief MA, Johnson RJ, Lambert AE, Cain S and Reeve RE. Driving simulator performance in adolescents with autism spectrum disorder: The role of executive functions and basic motor skills. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. 46(4), 1379–1391. doi 10.1007/s10803-015-2677-1.

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Cox, D.J., Brown, T., Ross, V. et al. Can Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder Use Virtual Reality Driving Simulation Training to Evaluate and Improve Driving Performance? An Exploratory Study. J Autism Dev Disord 47, 2544–2555 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-017-3164-7

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