The Road to Greater Independence for the Neurodiverse Learn-to-Drive Strategies for ASD, ADHD, Learning Challenged & other Neurodiverse Students

The importance of the Individual. "If you've met one person with autism, you've met one person with autism."

It all starts with Empathy. Rather than "sympathizing" with your student's needs, empathize with who they are and realize that you are going to be a very important part of their "road to greater independence".

Emotions and how they are handled (regulation & dysregulation) by our neurodiverse students may differ greatly from those of our neurotypical students. Everything that we do is an "emotional" activity and so we need to be aware of these differences and how to properly and appropriately react to them.

Humans are relational beings and therefore we need to Engage with our student. Although the student may have initial difficulty engaging in this new professional relationship, the instructor can't give up.

Endurance (patience) is key when working with your neurodiverse student. Although most will catch on in a "regular" set of instruction, a significant portion of these students will benefit from more and frequent professional instruction along with purposeful practice. The entire team must be on the same page concerning the final goal.

We Behind-the-wheel educators and instructors are the "head coaches" of your family's driver's ed team. Our job is to always Encourage (when appropriate) our student with their abilities. Adding proper and appropriate Enthusiasm expands that encouragement; the two work together on the path to success!

What are the expectations of the student or the parent regarding driver's education? Certain students (and their parents) believe that just because they have celebrated their sixteenth birthday now must chase a driver's license because of what "society" expects, when in reality it would be more appropriate to wait several months or several years. Let's set realistic Expectations.

Executive Functioning is how every one of us does everything in every dimension of our lives. Learn and understand the basics that contribute to Executive Functioning to better instruct your student.

Education is not just teaching "stuff" - Education goes beyond knowledge. There has to be a holistic approach that involves all of the parties from the instructor to the parent to the student. 

The eyes are more than just the windows to the soul. Eye contact is just the beginning. Helping your students to understand how they see the driving world around them is as important as what they see. With any student, there could be visual processing delays affecting reaction time (for example driving through complex intersections or windy & hilly country roads) is important to understand in accident avoidance as well as student (driver) anxiety.

All students, neurodiverse or neurotypical, learn in various ways; visual, auditory, kinesthetic, and their various combinations. Knowing & understanding how to best present information and instruction to your student will help to promote consistency and success.

Empowering a person means much more than assigning authority and/or responsibility... much more.

Continual, consistent, and objective evaluation and re-evaluation of your student is paramount to their success. Honest conversations with all involved parties throughout the driver's education process will lead to the proper & appropriate outcome for the individual. 

Physical, mental & emotional Exhaustion and fatigue are realities for your neurodiverse student as they expend more energy to complete many tasks that we neurotypicals may take for granted. Learn more. 

How you exit your time with your student is just as important as how you initiated it. For the student and their parent or guardian, understand that there are 4 "Exit Ramps" regarding your potential driver's license.

Get guidance and support from our academic coaches. Our coaches can help you improve your study skills, time management, and overall academic performance.

Tying up a bunch of loose ends. 

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) & Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) are two separate diagnoses and with similarities... and differences. Learn more.

Your neurodiverse student may have multiple visual, physical, emotional, or behavioral diagnoses that can impact operating a motor vehicle. Gain a basic understanding of what some of these various co-occurrences are so that you can be better prepared. 

Learn how to better interact with the parent(s) or guardian(s) of your student with proper & appropriate questions. Hypothetical scenarios are provided.

The "A's" and "M's", the most basic understanding of working with a neurodiverse student... especially for the novice driving instructor.

A listing of workbooks and study guides that are available for separate purchase and download.