Frequently Asked Questions

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As defined by Harvard Health: "Neurodiversity (a term coined by Australian sociologist Judy Singer) refers to the diversity of all people, but it is often used in the context of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), as well as other neurological or developmental conditions such as ADHD or learning disabilities."

To fill in the definition a bit more, these terms are used to advocate for the inclusion of people who may think and communicate differently. 

Absolute not! The majority (about 60%) of Autism Spectrum, ADHD & learning challenged students can learn to drive and earn their license with many qualified and experienced driving instructors. 

Yes, in that the school may promote that they have instructors who are "qualified" to work with our students with different abilities, but those qualified instructors may not have received special training or education in the best practices of how to best work with our neurodiverse students. Driving schools may, after several lessons, send that student who isn't progressing to an outside agency or institution for an evaluation, but then what does the student and their family do with that evaluation? Where do they go for proper instruction & training?

If after 3 behind-the-wheel lessons, your student isn't demonstrating progress or what we DRS folks call "carryover" (taking & applying taught skills and being able to repeat or perform them with little to no assistance), it would definitely be time to ask for help and possibly consider an evaluation with a DRS or CDRS. It makes no sense to continue paying for lessons without having a Specialist step in and at least sit in on a lesson or perform an evaluation. 

As noted, Driver Rehab Specialists (DRS, CDRS) have advanced training working with the neurodiverse population. We are trained to look deeper into the needs of the student such as vision or cognitive processing deficits or how cerebral palsy may affect the student's abilities and their pursuit of a driver's license. In such cases, a DRS may recommend performing an evaluation to determine if driving will be a reality for the student. It is better to seek an evaluation rather than "waste" thousands of dollars and countless hours on traditional Driver's Ed that may not produce results.

According to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), since the year 2000, people with a diagnosis of ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) alone have exploded from about 1 in 150 persons to about 1 in 36 in 2022. That number doesn't account for other different-abilities such as ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), anxiety, and other co-occurrences. 

Frankly, it depends on the needs of the student. If the student already has an IEP or a 504 plan, getting a more complete picture of what the student can do is useful. For example: a student may be able to pass the state vision requirements but had vision therapy or surgery as a young child and so there exists a potential vision processing delay or deficit. An evaluation by a CDRS who is also an Occupational Therapist, could uncover and redirect (possibly temporarily) those issues before proceeding.

Another example would be the student who may be an honor society member at school but hasn't been able to pass their permit test after several attempts. A more simple evaluation could help uncover how the student processes visual and cognitive concerns that may preclude the pursuit of a license.

Click on over to our Resource page where you'll find links to directories of Driver Rehab Specialists in your area who can work with your needs.